LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Viruses (Malicious Software): Computers
built 262 days ago
Viruses (Malicious Software) also shows up in the Retriever categories:
Viruses (Living Thing) , and more.
Viruses (Living Thing) , and more.
Viruses are computer infections that can damage your machine and destroy your documents. They generally come from the internet via emails and email attachments, but can ... be picked up from websites.
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Viruses are computer programs, and they can do anything that a normal program can do. This includes deleting files, formatting a user’s hard drive, and even overwriting the BIOS, completely disabling the computer.
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Viruses, worms, Trojan horses and related computer threats are commonly confused with each other because they often cause similar damage. Viruses have been around longer than the others, and consequently the term "virus" is commonly but inaccurately used to refer to all of them. Here are some distinguishing characteristics:
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Viruses can wreak havoc with your computer. Besides destroying your data, they can expose your personal information to criminals, dramatically increasing your risk of identity theft. Learn how to protect yourself, how to avoid infections, and how to respond if you’re a victim.
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Viruses can arrive in email, as downloaded files from Internet sites, on removable media, or by exploiting weaknesses in a computer's security. Antivirus software uses a database of known viruses to scan a computer's stored information (or its activity) to identify infections.
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Many users install anti-virus software that can detect and eliminate known viruses after the computer downloads or runs the executable. There are two common methods that an anti-virus software application uses to detect viruses. The first, and by far the most common method of virus detection is using a list of virus signature definitions. This works by examining the content of the computer's memory (its RAM, and boot sectors) and the files stored on fixed or removable drives (hard drives, floppy drives), and comparing those files against a database of known virus "signatures". The disadvantage of this detection method is that users are only protected from viruses that pre-date their last virus definition update. The second method is to use a heuristic algorithm to find viruses based on common behaviors.
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