Antivirus software is designed to protect against computer viruses. They are computer programs that attempt to identify or remove malicious software. Computer viruses are programs designed to infect and damage files on a computer that receives it. The virus enters a computer without the knowledge of the operator. The code for a virus is hidden within an existing program and when that program is launched, the virus inserts copies of itself into other programs on the system to infect them as well. It has the ability to reproduce itself and so it can quickly spread to other programs, including the computer’s operating system.
The term “virus” includes many different types of malware programs. Some viruses cause little or no damage. They only cause messages to appear on the screen at certain intervals but others are destructive. They can destroy important files and data. They can wipe out the computer’s memory. They can hack the system in an attempt to obtain personal details. At their worst, they can render the computer unusable. Consequently, one has to reinstall the operating system and applications.
Computer viruses spread from machine to machine on disks and through telephone lines. One should install an antivirus software program to identify and remove the viruses before they can cause any damage. These programs scan or review files that may come from floppy diskettes, internet, e-mail attachments or networks. Once detected, the software isolates and removes the virus before it can be activated.
It also uses the approach of targeting suspiciously behaving files from computer programs that may be infected. In this approach, it monitors all the programs on a system and alerts the user if a program tries to conduct a suspicious activity. Since the number of viruses is increasing all the time, one should keep antivirus software up-to-date with information on newly identified viruses.
This information is made available to customers by antivirus software vendors via their websites or e-mail. A user should scan every e-mail attachment for viruses before opening it as the sender may have unknowingly sent an infected file. Thus antivirus software is essential for anyone with a computer.
About the Author
Dave Saltonstall has been involved in network solutions and IT since 1997 -- For futher information on a proactive antivirus service working around the clock, around the globe, visit: http://www.k7computing.com
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