COMPUTER

VIRUSES
BY – AAKRITI
SINGH
What is computer virus?
A computer virus is a type of malware that attaches to another program (like
a document), which can replicate and spread after a person first runs it on
their system. For instance, you could receive an email with a malicious
attachment, open the file unknowingly, and then the computer virus runs on
your computer. Viruses are harmful and can destroy data, slow down system
resources, and log keystrokes.

Cybercriminals aren’t creating new viruses all the time, instead they focus
their efforts on more sophisticated and lucrative threats. When people talk
about “getting a virus” on their computer, they usually mean some form of
malware—it could be a virus, computer worm, Trojan, ransomware or some
other harmful thing. Viruses and malware continue to evolve, and often
cybercriminals use the type that gives them the best return at that particular
time.
A computer virus is a program which can harm our device and files and infect them for
no further use. When a virus program is executed, it replicates itself by modifying other
computer programs and instead enters its own coding. This code infects a file or
program and if it spreads massively, it may ultimately result in crashing of the device.

Across the world, Computer viruses are a great issue of concern as they can cause
billions of dollars’ worth harm to the economy each year.

Since the computer virus only hits the programming of the device, it is not visible. But
there are certain indications which can help you analyse that a device is virus-hit. Given
below are such signs which may help you identify computer viruses:

 Speed of the System – In case a virus is completely executed into your device,
the time taken to open applications may become longer and the entire system
processing may start working slowly
 Pop-up Windows – One may start getting too many pop up windows on their
screen which may be virus affected and harm the device even more
 Self Execution of Programs – Files or applications may start opening in the
background of the system by themselves and you may not even know about
them
 Log out from Accounts – In case of a virus attack, the probability of accounts
getting hacked increase and password protected sites may also get hacked and
you might get logged out from all of them
 Crashing of the Device – In most cases, if the virus spreads in maximum files
and programs, there are chances that the entire device may crash and stop
working
Types of Computer Virus

Discussed below are the different types of computer viruses:

 Boot Sector Virus – It is a type of virus that infects the boot sector of floppy
disks or the Master Boot Record (MBR) of hard disks. The Boot sector comprises
all the files which are required to start the Operating system of the computer. The
virus either overwrites the existing program or copies itself to another part of the
disk.
 Direct Action Virus – When a virus attaches itself directly to a .exe or .com file
and enters the device while its execution is called a Direct Action Virus. If it gets
installed in the memory, it keeps itself hidden. It is also known as Non-Resident
Virus.
 Resident Virus – A virus which saves itself in the memory of the computer and
then infects other files and programs when its originating program is no longer
working. This virus can easily infect other files because it is hidden in the
memory and is hard to be removed from the system.
 Multipartite Virus – A virus which can attack both, the boot sector and the
executable files of an already infected computer is called a multipartite virus. If a
multipartite virus attacks your system, you are at risk of cyber threat.
 Overwrite Virus – One of the most harmful viruses, the overwrite virus can
completely remove the existing program and replace it with the malicious code
by overwriting it. Gradually it can completely replace the host’s programming
code with the harmful code.
 Polymorphic Virus – Spread through spam and infected websites, the
polymorphic virus are file infectors which are complex and are tough to detect.
They create a modified or morphed version of the existing program and infect the
system and retain the original code.
 File Infector Virus – As the name suggests, it first infects a single file and then
later spreads itself to other executable files and programs. The main source of
this virus are games and word processors.
 Spacefiller Virus – It is a rare type of virus which fills in the empty spaces of a
file with viruses. It is known as cavity virus. It will neither affect the size of the file
nor can be detected easily.
 Macro Virus – A virus written in the same macro language as used in the
software program and infects the computer if a word processor file is opened.
Mainly the source of such viruses is via emails.

Symptoms of Malware
  Your computer or web browser has dramatically slowed down over a period of a
few days/a week
 Frequent freezing or crashing
 Modified or deleted files
 New programs or desktop icons that you do not recall installing/creating
 Programs running without your consent
 Programs closing without your consent
 Changes in your security settings
 Unusual emails/social media messages being sent without your permission to a
large audience
 Pop-up advertisements: Most browsers suppress these by default so if you are
getting them, something has changed those settings (or you have otherwise
explicitly allowed pop-ups)
 Your default search engine has been changed without you altering it
 New toolbars in the web browser
 Browser links redirect to the wrong web page

How to Protect Your Computer From

Viruses

It’s important to practice a variety of strategies to keep your computer and other
smart devices safe from viruses and other forms of malware.

Here are some of the best ways to protect your computer.

  Keep operating system and apps up-to-date: This will make it harder for
viruses to infect your devices.
 Only connect to trusted internet connections: This can also protect you from
other types of attacks such as ARP spoofing.
 Avoid suspicious attachments: Never open email attachments from unknown
senders, as these can contain malware and other viruses.
 Only download files from official websites and trusted sources:
Downloading files from websites you're unfamiliar with is always a risk. No matter
how legitimate a download may seem, if it's not from a well-known source, avoid it.
 Install antivirus software: A quality antivirus package will help you get rid of a
virus on your computer and protect you from future infections.


What is an Anti-Virus?

An anti-virus is a software which comprises programs or set of programs which can

detect and remove all the harmful and malicious software from your device. This anti-
virus software is designed in a manner that they can search through the files in a
computer and determine the files which are heavy or mildly infected by a virus.
Given below is a list of few of the major antivirus software which is most commonly
used:

 Norton Antivirus
 F-Secure Antivirus
 Kaspersky Antivirus
 AVAST Antivirus
 Comodo Antivirus
 McAfee Antivirus