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What are the interesting facts about Computer Viruses?
A computer virus is a malware, which corrupts or destroys our files on the system. The computer virus is not a new thing to us. It was created and started spreading around the 1980's. Virus is a type of malware which is capable of self-replicating itself and spreads from one machine to another.
Generally, Computer virus is a program which controls the computer without the knowledge of the user and it runs parallel with the internet. If more devices are connected and all people are using the web obviously threat and security risk are increasing.
Types of Computer Viruses
Some of the types of computer viruses are as follows −
Macro virus − It is a type of virus present in macro files. Macro files are present in spreadsheets, databases and word processing documents.
Boot sector virus − It is a type of virus present in removable media. For example − A flash drive attached to the system then the virus is transferred from media to the host system.
Polymorphic virus − It develops an infection in the computer, it always replicates in the system and it is difficult to find.
File infector virus − This virus is present in the executable code in .com or .exe file, it affects the host system when it is executed.
Direct Action virus − It infects the system by staying hidden in the memory. It is not easy to identify this because there is no performance change in the system
Resident Virus − It resides in the system and it is hard to detect this virus. It is hard to remove this virus.
There are many computer viruses and hence, it better to know about them and how to protect the system from them −
Protection of Computer Systems from Viruses
We can protect our computer systems from viruses, if we follow the steps given below −
Keep your software’s and operating systems up to date.
Enable firewall settings for your system.
Always be careful while accessing the websites on the internet and downloading files from the websites. They can redirect you to malicious websites which are harmful for your system. Don't click attached links from unknown emails.
Use any of the anti-virus software’s.
Before connecting any portable devices, scan them and then make any kind of operations on them.
Interesting Facts
Now, let us see some of the interesting facts about computer viruses, which are as follows −
The first computer virus was a computer worm. Starting the computer programs and internet was used by the military and defense people. Based on their record the first virus that was created in computers is creeper virus. It was a selfreplicating virus and displays the message like "I am the creeper catch me if you can" in early 1970's.
Almost 70 % of Virus writers work for the organized crime syndicates under contract.
90% of emails contain malware.
My Doom is one of the fastest spreading viruses that ever created and also it damages the most of the economy.
Apple, eBay and amazon.com, the most exploited target for phishing attacks was Amazon brand followed by apple and ebay.
The virus writers are often children who are writing their code to experiment their programming skills.
Every month more than 6000 new viruses are created.
In India, the first high risk for virus attack was the US followed by Russia.
The virus in your mails will affect only if you open the attachment file, if you simply read the mail, it will not affect the system. However, downloading the attachment will affect the system.
Every 1 in 14 programs that are downloaded from the internet are malicious.
Storm is a worm started in January 2007, and affected and spread to 50 million computers by October.
Leigh is one of the first file viruses which infects by using .com files.
Symantec launched its first Norton Antivirus in 1990.
Tequuila (1991) is the first polymorphic computer virus.
The First smartphone virus was created in March 2005 and it is called COMM warrior-A
Before computer networks, the virus is transmitted with the help of floppy disks.
The first Windows virus was WinVer 1.4,
The first .exe file was Groove and the first boot virus was created by Faroq Alvi brothers.
At present, malicious software threats can be divided broadly into 3 categories − viruses, worms and trojan horses.
Their behaviour differs from one another but they are made from the same elementary instructions and computer logic.
Viruses are written in multiple computer programming languages from assembly, C to Microsoft’s VBA.
I love is one of the most viral computer viruses ever.
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