Types of Computer Viruses

With the growing increase in popularity and reliance on computers, security risks have also gone up. With the billions of information bits being spread across the internet, hackers and computer intruders have devised ingenious methods of getting information out of you, the computer user, with or without you knowing that you've been hacked into.

As is the case in real life, there are some computer programs that are disguised to be innocent, but actually act as spies, providing information to the intruders. These malicious programs which are security threats are called computer viruses.

The threat of computer viruses should not be taken lightly. They work in many different ways; one of them may be to provide data to the one who planted the virus. Other viruses can simply be annoying - slowing down your computer, building unwanted files, etc. – while some can be very disruptive, such as deleting your hard drive, compromising your operating system, etc.

The Different Types of Computer Viruses

There are different types of computer viruses which differ in how they function and how they are spread. Examples of these include Trojan horses, worms, -email viruses, and logic bombs. It would be important for you to know these types of computer viruses in order to better protect you from them, as well as to have the proper programs to get rid of them.

1. Trojan horses are computer programs that cannot reproduce themselves, but they can cause damage anywhere from minimal to extremely dangerous. It usually disguises itself as a common file (such as an .mp3 music file or a .jpeg picture file) but does the damage when the computer user opens it. This is why you should take extra care when opening a suspicious looking file – it could very well be a Trojan horse.
2. Worms are self reproducing programs that mainly use security holes in order to spread itself throughout the network. If your computer is infected with a worm and is able to replicate itself a number of times, this usually causes your computer to slow down noticeably since it uses your computer resources and memory to do so. They often use security flaws in operating systems in order to self reproduce.
3. E-mail viruses are self explanatory – they spread via e-mail. Once you open the infected e-mail, the e-mail virus sends itself to other computer users via the e-mail addresses found in your address book. Because a great number of people open their e-mails without being careful, the virus spreads very quickly across the entire world and can cause chaos within just a few days.
4. Logic bombs are viruses that target specific computer applications, causing them to crash. This can also be spread via e-mail attachments or by innocently downloading them off the Internet. It can cause a great deal of harm (particularly if it infects Windows and the like), or just a small amount (if it infects a small program).

If you are at your wit's end because of viruses, spywares, and malwares always invading your computer system, you may wish to purchase an anti-virus program for your computer.  The following anti-virus programs are considered some of the best out there, and can help give you the protection you need:  

• Kaspersky Anti-Virus 7.0
• AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 8.0
• Panda Internet Security 2008
• Norton AntiVirus 2008
• ESET NOD32 3.0

Synonyms:  comuter, omputer, cumputer, coputer, compuer, compter, and computor are typos for the word "computer." 
vrus, vrius, virs, virsus, viruse, virius, vires, virous, viris, virsu, viru, and viruss are typos for "virus" and "viruses."