What Should I Know about Computer Viruses?

A computer virus (Computer Virus) is a set of computer instructions or program code that a programmer inserts into a computer program to destroy computer functions or data, which can affect the use of the computer, and can copy itself.

Computer viruses are man-made, destructive, infectious and latent programs that can damage computer information or systems. It does not exist independently, but is hidden in other executable programs. After the virus in the computer, it will affect the machine's running speed in a small way, and the system will be damaged in a serious way; therefore, the virus will bring great losses to the user. Generally, we call this kind of destructive program a computer virus. ^[1]

In order to understand and prevent computer viruses more clearly, we have classified them according to the type of media they are attached to:

1) Network virus: a computer virus that infects executable files through a computer network

2) File viruses: viruses that attack files on your computer

3) Guided virus: a main infection-driven

Computer viruses have their own transmission modes and different transmission paths. The main function of the computer itself is its own replication and spread, which means that the spread of computer viruses is very easy, and usually the environment where data can be exchanged can spread the virus. There are three main types of computer virus transmission: ^[3]

As long as any virus invades the system, it will have varying degrees of impact on the system and applications. The lighter will reduce the working efficiency of the computer and occupy system resources, while the heavyr will cause data loss and system crash. The procedural nature of a computer virus means that it is an executable program just like any other legitimate program, but it is not a complete program

There are many main symptoms of poisoned computers. Any abnormality of the computer may be related to the virus. After a computer is infected with a virus, it is difficult to detect it if it does not occur. However, when the virus attacks, it is easy to feel the following symptoms: work will be abnormal; somehow crashes; sudden restart or unable to start; programs cannot run; disk bad clusters somehow increase; disk space becomes smaller; system startup becomes Slow; data and programs are lost; abnormal sounds, music, or some meaningless screen greetings appear; normal peripherals are used abnormally, such as printing problems, keyboard input characters are inconsistent with the screen display, etc .; exceptions require users Enter the password. ^[2]

"Love bug" virus. The virus was spread through the Microsoft Outlook email system and the subject of the message was "I LOVE YOU" and contained an attachment. Once opened in Microsoft Outlook, the system will automatically copy and send the virus to all email addresses in the address book. "Love Worm" virus is a worm that can overwrite some files on the local and network hard disks. After infection, the mail system will slow down and may cause the entire network system to crash. ^[2]

It is important to increase awareness of computer viruses and to recognize the destructive and destructive nature of viruses. Nowadays, computers have been used in all walks of life. Computers and computer networks have become an important part of people's lives. Viruses can damage and tamper with computer data. Theft can cause serious network security problems and affect the network. Benefits of use. ^[1]

Computer viruses keep an eye on the computer all the time and are always ready to launch attacks, but computer viruses are not uncontrollable. The following aspects can be used to reduce the damage caused by computer viruses: ^[1]

(1) Install the latest anti-virus software, upgrade the anti-virus software virus database every day, regularly check and kill viruses on the computer, and turn on all monitoring of the anti-virus software when surfing the Internet. Cultivate good Internet habits, for example, carefully open unknown emails and attachments, try to stay on the site with viruses, use more complex passwords as much as possible, and guess simple passwords is a new way for many network viruses to attack the system. ^[1]

(2) Do not execute software that has not been processed by anti-virus after downloading from the Internet; do not casually browse or log in to unfamiliar websites, and strengthen self-protection. There are many illegal websites, and malicious code that is sneaked into them, once opened by users, they will Trojan horse or other virus implantation. ^[1]

(3) Cultivate a conscious awareness of information security. When using mobile storage devices, do not share them as much as possible, because mobile storage is also the main way for computers to spread, and it is also the main target of computer virus attacks. It has higher requirements for information security. In the place, the USB interface on the computer should be closed, and at the same time, it should be dedicated to the special machine under conditions. ^[1]

(4) Use the Windows Update function to apply system-wide patches, and at the same time, upgrade application software to the latest version, such as player software, communication tools, etc., to prevent viruses from invading the system from web Trojan horses or through other application software vulnerabilities. Virus transmission; Isolate the computer affected by the virus as soon as possible. During the process of using the computer, if there is a virus or abnormal computer on the computer, the network should be interrupted in time; when the computer network is always interrupted or the network is abnormal, immediately Disconnect the network to prevent the virus from spreading on the network. ^[1]