An estimated 50,000 computer viruses provide a variety of effects ranging from the merely unpleasant to the catastrophic. Computer viruses encyclopedia of life support systems. From there it can overcome and interrupt all of the operations executed by the system. Purpose the purpose of this paper is to discuss various types of computer viruses, along with their characteristics, working, effects on the computer systems and to suggest measures for. Computer viruses a computer virus is a program that has the ability to reproducereplicate itself without the users knowledge. As it is hard to define malware in a proper way, it can also be. A computer virus is a malware program that is written intentionally to gain access to a computer without its owners permission. The purpose of this paper is to define the last malware and prevent the computer. Computer viruses come in different forms to infect the system in different ways. What is a computer virus and types of virus, how to avoid it. This article is the result of several wellknown sources. Since dmitri ivanovskys 1892 article describing a nonbacterial pathogen infecting tobacco plants, and the discovery of the tobacco mosaic virus by martinus beijerinck in.
Today in this article i will show you the types of computer viruses and definition of each type. Most common types of viruses and other malicious programs 1. Because there are so many types of computer viruses, a virus can infect another computer unintentionally anytime that program is run and the virus is activated. Generally, network viruses multiply through shared resources, i. The first kind, as soon as it lands on a new computer, begins to replicate. Computer virus definition is all about a small software that loaded on your system without your knowledge and because of such software your system performance effected. Virus writers use social engineering deceptions and exploit detailed knowledge of security. In todays world computers are the most used things, but there are many viruses that affect computers and make it slow and infected. Pdf computer viruses have been around since the mid 1980s. Your anti virus program is the best solution to fight them. As soon as a program gets run in the computer, the virus becomes active and starts to add itself to the memory of the computer and at the sight of it destroys all the data on the whole computer. How does a computer virus spread a computer virus spreads through removable media, internet downloads, and email attachments. From simple viruses that are harmless and made to mock people for their poor cybersecurity or heighten the ego of some teenage hacker, they have become the sole reason why they are so many data leaks and breaches occurring to. Some other kinds of malicious software, also called malware, which lack a replication routine but are frequently assumed.
As internet connectivity grows, the ease with which computer viruses can spread also grows. Be very careful with email, email attachments or files of any kind. Firstly, the definitions of computer virus and the related threats are. A computer virus is a malicious software program malware that can infect a computer by modifying or deleting data files, boot sector of a hard disk drive or causes a software program to work in an unexpected manner. Computer viruses generally refer to programs that unintentionally get into computers, disrupt the normal operation, and cause damage to data and programs 32. Unlike most living things, viruses do not have cells that divide. In this lesson, youll learn more about some different types of viruses and how they function in the computer environment. Notes on types and protection of computer viruses grade.
The widespread usage of the internet and the death of the floppy has made other means of virus transmission more effective. Networkborn worms, such as the 2001 code red worm, fall into the same category. To aid the fight against computer viruses and other types of malicious software, many security advisory organizations and developers of anti virus software compile and publish lists of viruses. It has the capacity to modify or replicate itself, in which case it will continue spreading. A computer virus is an unwanted malicious program designed to cause damage to computers on a large scale. Computer viruses are becoming increasingly diverse in types. A computer virus is a type of computer program that, when executed, replicates itself by modifying other computer programs and inserting its own code. When a new virus appears, the rush begins to identify and understand it as well as develop appropriate counter.
When infected, the host cell is forced to rapidly produce thousands of identical copies of the original virus. The threat today and the expected future xin li 2 abstract this masters thesis within the area computer security concerns computer viruses. A virus is by definition a computer program that spreads or replicates by copying itself. These kinds of programs are primarily written to steal or destroy computer data. A computer virus is a type of malware that, when executed, replicates itself by modifying other computer programs and inserting its own code. It is important that you scan your computer for viruses once in a while, so that you can be sure about its protection. When the virus infects a computer, it searches through the network to attack its new potential prey. The most popular examples of resident viruses are cmj, meve, mrklunky, and randex.
Different types of computer viruses computer virus. There are different types of computer viruses, and each type has their own separate features and factors that make them different from one another. A computer virus is a type of malware that is intentionally written to gain entry into your computer, without your knowledge or permission. But unlike simpler infectious agents like prions, they contain genes, which allow them. Various kinds of antivirus software have been developed which detect viruses and take corrective actions. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. A computer virus is one type of malware that inserts its virus code to multiply itself by altering the programs and applications. In other words, a virus spreads while the user is viewing an infected advertisement, visiting an infected website, opening the attachment in the email, or clicking on an executable file. An anti virus program knows everything about computer bugs. However, the ability to replicate itself is the common criterion that distinguishes a virus from other kinds of software. This type of virus can easily spread in your computer system. There are several types of computer viruses, commonly every malicious code such as adware, trojans, spyware, keylogger, worm, rootkit, backdoor are called a virus.
Files containing macros are instantly infected by macro virus. Viruses can infect all types of life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. This document makes use of some definitions from mecklermedia 1 computers types i, computer. A computer virus is a type of malware that is written in. Computer viruses have evolved from mildly annoying to seriously destructive. Computer viruses from an annoyance to a serious threat. A computer virus is a computer program that can spread across computers and networks by making.
Among the different types of computer viruses the most familiar ones are computer virus types and internet types of virus. Overwrite virus contaminated the files which have information and make the files useless for the use examples are way, trj reboot, trivial 88d. Macro viruses tend to be surprising but relatively harmless. There are many known techniques that can be used by a virus, and viruses appear on many platforms. Boot sector virus boot sector viruses became popular because of the use of floppy disks to boot a computer. Generally, computer virus is capable of damaging any kind of file and hampering the performance of a computer. Most systems catch viruses due to program bugs, the vulnerability of operating systems, and poor security practices. A virus is a tiny infectious agent that reproduces inside the cells of living hosts. Macro virus this is one of the types of viruses on computers which infects files that are made with the use of certain programs or applications with macros such as. There are various types of computer viruses, classified in terms of techniques, origin, the types of files affected, damage, os or platform attacked, as well as the places they hide. The compilation of a unified list of computer viruses is made difficult because of naming. Definition of computer virus a computer virus is a program that may disturb the normal working of a computer system.
Computer virus is a term given to manmade computer software or system to destroy computer programs or computer. A computer virus is a type of malware malicious software or code that is designed to spread from computer to computer and perform harmful activities such as corrupting and disrupting systems or destroying data. There are types of computer virus that effect your system in different way. There are different types of viruses that cause different damages to information and programs stored on computers. The computer gets infected through the replication of malicious code. Computer viruses can wreck havoc to the operations of the computer. Soft communication like internet surfing, email can also launch virus onto the computer system while receiving these types of viruses one remains ignorant of their presence before its execution. A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. When this replication succeeds, the affected areas are then said to be infected with a computer virus. Vbs 42, 67 virus 722, 67 boot sector 62 companion 63 defined 8 file 14, 63 first 18. When the virus finishes infecting that computer, it moves on to the next and the cycle repeats itself.
A macro virus is a computer virus that infects a microsoft word or similar application and causes a sequence of actions to be performed automatically when the application is started or something else triggers it. On this page, you will learn everything you need to know about the types, symptoms, protection, prevention, detection and removal of computer viruses. Viruses which infect bacterial cells are known as bacteriophage or bacteria eaters. A virus of this type may spread in multiple ways, and it may take different actions on an infected computer depending on variables, such as the operating system. Recent study data say that the majority of the malicious programs out there in the wild today are trojans and computer worms, with viruses having declined in numbers. Boot sector viruses were the first type of virus to appear. Virus attaches itself to files stored on floppy disks, usbs, email attachments and hard disks.
Typically, each virus will only infect one type of target though some security analysts believe. So much so that viruses are now just the tip of the iceberg. Computer viruses can be classified by type of targeted file, longevity. Types of computer viruses and definition of each type. Computer viruses are related to other types of programs such as trojan horses and. If this file is copied to a computer, virus is also copied to the computer. Definition a computer is a machine that can be programmed to manipulate symbols. For example, it may attach itself to the dos program format and run every time you format a diskette. Trojan horses, computer viruses are instances of malicious logic or malicious. It is very infectious, performing unauthorized actions in your operating system. A virus attacks a computer to spread other malware, allows remote control by unauthorized. Documents like ms excel or ms word are infected by this virus as well and its infection can spread to other related documents. Retrovirus is another type virus which tries to attack and disable the anti virus application running on the computer. Some retroviruses attack the anti virus application and stop it from running or some other destroys the virus definition database.
The different types of viruses on the basis of their infected area are message carrying virus, boot sector virus, system or file infector virus, bomb virus, macro virus, trojan horse. Analysis of various types of viruses and their remedies. Computer virus types names, definition, removal, protection. The viruses which infect and live inside the animal cell including man are called animal viruses.
The term computer virus is used for a program that has infected some executable software and, when run, causes the virus to spread to other. A computer virus is a type of malware malicious software or code that is designed to spread from computer to computer and perform. Types of computer viruses a computer virus is one type of malware that inserts its virus code to multiply itself by altering the programs and applications. Sometimes designed to vandalize web pages, worms may seem like the online equivalent to graffiti tagging, with the authors alias or affinity group appearing everywhere the worm goes code red. Browser hijacker this type of virus, which can spread itself in numerous ways including. Something like opening a email attachment or downloading a file off the internet or giving or receiving a copy of a program or file from a coworkers thumb drive can expose you and. However, each type of dangerous code is different in behavior and. It can interfere with normal system operation which can lead to the corruption of files and programs. Resident viruses this type of virus is a permanent which dwells in the ram memory. They attack all platforms and are written in all popular computer languages. A computer virus is a type of malicious software program. The virus can be classified on the basis of the type of host and genetic material.
568 739 358 97 24 197 1115 117 108 56 925 641 1413 786 751 1435 654 472 1070 28 729 421 386 1332 650 1229 1437 1283 1154 1109 558 331 745 561 366 902 124 63 53 233