The earliest computer viruses were essentially programmers playing around, like the probably first one, known as the Creeper virus back in 1971, which displayed the message “I’m the creeper, catch me if you can!”.
Computer virus history
The first true computer virus was Elk Cloner, developed in 1982 by fifteen-year-old Richard Skrenta as a prank. Elk Cloner was an Apple II boot sector virus that could jump from floppy to floppy on computers that had two floppy drives (as many did). Every 50th time an infected game was started, it would display a poem announcing the infection.
Other major viruses in history include:
- Jerusalem: A DOS virus that lurked on computers, launched on any Friday the 13th, and deleted applications.
- Melissa: A mass-mailing macro virus that brought the underground virus scene to the mainstream in 1999. It earned its creator 20 months in prison.
But most of the big-name malware you've heard of in the 21st century has, strictly speaking, been worms or Trojans, not viruses. That doesn't mean viruses aren't out there, however — so be careful what code you execute.
According to Wikipedia, "A computer virus is a type of computer program that, when executed, replicates itself by modifying other computer programs and inserting its own code. When this replication succeeds, the affected areas are then said to be "infected" with a computer virus."
According to Norton Antivirus company, "A computer virus is a type of malicious code or program written to alter the way a computer operates and is designed to spread from one computer to another. A virus operates by inserting or attaching itself to a legitimate program or document that supports macros in order to execute its code. In the process, a virus has the potential to cause unexpected or damaging effects, such as harming the system software by corrupting or destroying data."
As defined by Malwarebytes Labs, a computer virus is “malware attached to another program (such as a document), which can replicate and spread after an initial execution on a target system where human interaction is required. Many viruses are harmful and can destroy data, slow down system resources, and log keystrokes.
Can you guess how the virus works?
A computer virus operates in two ways. The first kind, as soon as it lands on a new computer, begins to replicate itself.
The second type plays dead until the trigger kicks off the malicious code. In other words, the infected program needs to run before it can be executed on the system.
Therefore, it is highly important to stay protected by installing a robust antivirus program.
How do computer viruses spread?
In a constantly connected world, you can contract a computer virus in many ways, some more obvious than others.
Viruses can be spread through email and text message attachments, Internet file downloads, and social media scam links. Your mobile devices and smartphones can become infected with mobile viruses through shady app downloads. Viruses can hide disguised as attachments of socially shareable content such as funny images, greeting cards, or audio and video files.
To avoid contact with a virus, it’s important to exercise caution when surfing the web, downloading files, and opening links or attachments. To help stay safe, never download text or email attachments that you’re not expecting, or files from websites you don’t trust.
How can we identify that our system is infected or not??
A computer virus attack can produce a variety of symptoms. Here are some of them:
Frequent pop-up windows. Pop-ups might encourage you to visit unusual sites. Or they might prod you to download antivirus or other software programs.
Changes to your homepage. Your usual homepage may change to another website, for instance. Plus, you may be unable to reset it.
Mass emails being sent from your email account. A criminal may take control of your account or send emails in your name from another infected computer.
Frequent crashes. A virus can inflict major damage on your hard drive. This may cause your device to freeze or crash. It may also prevent your device from coming back on.
Unusually slow computer performance. A sudden change of processing speed could signal that your computer has a virus.
Unknown programs that start up when you turn on your computer. You may become aware of the unfamiliar program when you start your computer. Or you might notice it by checking your computer’s list of active applications.
Unusual activities like password changes. This could prevent you from logging into your computer.
Types of computer viruses
A computer virus is one type of malware that inserts its virus code to multiply itself by altering programs and applications. The computer gets infected through the replication of malicious code. Computer viruses come in different forms and infect the system in different ways. Some of the most common viruses are,
Boot Sector Virus
Direct Action Virus
Resident Virus
Multipartite Virus
Polymorphic Virus
Overwrite Virus
Spacefiller Virus
How to protect against computer viruses
When you arm yourself with information and resources, you’re wiser about computer security threats and less vulnerable to their tactics. Take these steps to safeguard your PC with the best computer virus protection:
Use antivirus protection and a firewall
Get antispyware software
Always keep your antivirus protection and antispyware software up-to-date
Update your operating system regularly
Increase your browser security settings
Avoid questionable Websites
Only download software from sites you trust.
Carefully evaluate free software and file-sharing applications before downloading them.
Don't open messages from unknown senders
Immediately delete messages you suspect to be spam
An unprotected computer is like an open door for computer viruses. Firewalls monitor Internet traffic in and out of your computer and hide your PC from online scammers looking for easy targets.
So, think before opening,or downloading files that seems to be suspicious
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