How Computer Viruses Spread

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The commonest ways that viruses spread are through email attachments, boot infections and program infectors. But aside from the given, there are several more ways through which viruses spread.

Pc virus through disks

USB, Zip, CD’s, tapes, etc. would be the usual sources of virus spread from one computer to another. If you use disks to copy files from an infected computer, chances are, you can also copy the virus. To completely clean an infected disk, you can either reformat or make use of an anti-virus to clean and remove viruses. With CD’s, there is nothing you can do to clean it. Once infected, you just need to throw it and don’t use it again.

Computer Virus Infections through networks

Networks for example peer to peer, LAN, WAN, wireless network, and internet are not safe. As they all serve the purpose of sharing network and information between computers, they are also sharing viruses.

Do you know that even a simple computer (such as the one you’re using) could be hijacked and utilized in attacking major online companies like Microsoft, Ebay, banks, etc. using the purpose of disrupting their online services. These attacks are usually known as DOS Attack. DOS attack usually works by hijacking thousands of computers without the knowledge of the user, and then at a specific time, launch a combined attack from all the infected computers against the company they’re targeting. You can protect your computer by using up-to-date anti-virus and firewall protection.

Other possible causes of computer virus spread

Other sources of virus spreads are downloading software, pirated programs, or even mp3 song and videos. Ought to be fact, the quickest growing sources of virus infections are the files and software downloaded straight from the internet. Make sure you are downloading your files from reputable companies to lessen the risk of downloading infected files.

The alarming and fast growing spread of viruses trigger the requirements for proper understanding of all computer users to safeguard themselves and their accounts from possible infection of virus. If you are using email or instant messaging system that is installed automatically together with your operating system, you must use the updated and current anti-virus software and change your default settings that leaves your system open even to minor attacks