Viruses can be spread several ways, including via networks, discs, email attachments or external storage devices like USB sticks. Installing mainstream software applications without thoroughly reading license agreements Opening spam email or an email attachmentĭownloading free games, toolbars, media players and other system utilities Sharing music, files, or photos with other users How does a computer get a virus?Įven if you’re careful, you can pick up computer viruses through normal Web activities like: While tens of thousands of computer viruses still roam the internet, they have diversified their methods and are now joined by a number of malware variants like worms, Trojans, and ransomware. In 2013, the botnet virus Gameover ZueS was discovered to use peer-to-peer downloading sites to distribute ransomware and commit banking fraud. Are you prepared for today’s attacks? Discover the year’s biggest cyber threats in our annual Threat Report. Even less harmful computer viruses can significantly disrupt your system’s performance, sapping computer memory and causing frequent computer crashes. Others simply replicate themselves or flood a network with traffic, making it impossible to perform any internet activity. Some computer viruses are programmed to harm your computer by damaging programs, deleting files, or reformatting the hard drive. Designed to replicate relentlessly, computer viruses infect your programs and files, alter the way your computer operates or stop it from working altogether. It’s persistently nasty, keeps you from functioning normally, and often requires something powerful to get rid of it. Think of a biological virus – the kind that makes you sick. A subset of malware, these self-copying threats are usually designed to damage a device or steal data. A computer virus is a malicious piece of computer code designed to spread from device to device.
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