A computer virus is a program that shares some of the aspects of biological viruses:
- it is dangerous
- it is small
- it is difficult to detect
- it is self-replicating
Viruses are propagated through the internet (email, downloads, etc), networks and disks.
Once a virus is present on a system, it will try to spread itself. It might, for example, email itself to all of the contacts in a userÆs address book.
Viruses can cause different types of damage. They can:
- destroy data
- drastically reduce system performance
- use contaminated systems to send spam or attack another systems
- open backdoors to give remote users access to the computer
To get rid of a virus, you need to locate the file that has been infected and delete it.
In order to protect your system against viruses, you should install an anti-virus program.
We advise you to install real-time anti-virus software, such as VirusKeeper.
VirusKeeper detects and removes viruses before they can infect your system.