Almost everybody will be scared of the idea of a computer virus, however how many people actually know what a virus is and what it will mean for your computer? Some people think that a computer virus is like a human virus which can be transmitted just by computers being close to one another, or by sharing CD-ROM disks. However this will never happen, a CD-ROM is read only, which means the virus cannot write anything to the disk, no matter how hard it tries. It is right to be scared of viruses, and you do need to protect yourself from them. There are many different types of virus including Trojans, email viruses and work viruses.
In its most simple form a virus is a computer program which gets into your computer somehow without your consent and it will make your life a nightmare. If it is a worm then it will try to transmit itself to everyone else in your contact list, if it's just a virus then it can only be transmitted if you give someone an infected file. Not all viruses are destructive, a virus simply means it does something that you don't want it to do, this could be annoying more than anything.
There are lots of different ways for viruses to spread these days which is why you need to invest in good quality anti-virus software. Viruses can be sent in email attachments, Internet downloads, and even in office documents if you are not careful about the macros. You need to make sure that you allow windows update to run on a regular basis so that your computer is patched and none of the security holes are left open.
Viruses are someones attempt to deliberately damage your computer, they are created for this purpose. Someone has actually sat down and developed this virus, it's almost impossible to track down the creator of the viruses, although it does sometimes happen as in the case of the sasser worm.
If you think about it the idea of a computer virus is to be expected, after all every single computer is connected and so it's only logical someone will find a way to abuse this. Viruses are paying particular attention to instant messenger systems, and VoIP networks. It is very important to install and update your virus scanner so that you are completely protected.
Every year the threat from viruses increases, this year is no different. Here's a list of the most important things that you should be on the look out for this year.
Increase in Phishing Websites – These websites are designed to look exactly like the real website in order to trick you out of your personal information. These are commonly used to try and get your bank account or credit card numbers, for example you may receive an email asking you to follow a link and enter your information to confirm your details. Phishing scams are also evident when looking at the social networking sites, particularly the popular ones.
Spamming – Spamming is one of the most annoying thing on the Internet, although this isn't normally related to computer viruses it could be if you have a virus designed to Spam your friends.
Windows Vista – Until recently windows Vista was fairly new and so wasn't targeted that much, mainly because not many people used it. However as vista is a year old it is slowly starting to become common, although many businesses still don't like it. Windows Vista is said to be the most secure version of windows yet, but honestly that isn't really saying a whole lot. There are thought to be huge security flaws which have yet to be discovered. It's only a matter of time before some virus creator finds a way around this.
Internet Messengers – Instant messenging is an extremely popular way of communicating, there are lots of different clients which you can use to do this. It's also possible to transfer files and photos which makes it very easy to send viruses. It is predicted that the use of these applications to transmit viruses will increase over time.
These threats are why you really need to install and keep a virus scanner up to date, some form of virus protection and virus detection is vital. One great anti virus program is Micro Antivirus which can be downloaded by clicking here. This will help with virus removal, and Trojan removal. It also contains updates so that it can assist with mydoom removal and the monagrey Trojan.
You also need to have a firewall and spyware scanner on your system to make sure that it is protected from all the possibilities.
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