Virus Classifications
Here are the most prevalent types of computer viruses, along with a short explanation of what each one does.
Captive Viruses
RAM-resident viruses are hazardous because they can destroy files and applications and steal sensitive information, such as passwords and credit card data, by manipulating and intercepting system functions.
Protease-Activated Viruses
When executed, the primary goal of these viruses is to increase and carry out a predetermined action. The virus will only start reproducing when a specific trigger is satisfied. These viruses will often infect your computer by attaching themselves to other files. Anti-virus software is typically successful in repairing infected files.
Viruses: Overwrite
When this virus infects a file, it wipes out its contents and replaces them with a copy of itself. That is to say; these will strip your files bare and then dress themselves. Virus infection renders files unusable, making a recovery impossible without a backup copy.
Boot Sector Viruses
The boot section of your hard drives becomes infected by this virus. The boot sector is the first sector read when a computer is powered on and contains essential system data. Once booted, these viruses are automatically installed. This malware does not destroy files, so rest assured. Write protection on floppy disks and never booting from an unfamiliar floppy disk are your most excellent defenses against boot viruses. Antivirus software can typically find and eliminate them.
Huge Viruses
Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, and Powerpoint, among others, can use additional tools called “helper” programs to perform various tasks automatically. Macros and scripts are ‘helper’ programs kept in the document files rather than the main application. When these files are infected with a macro virus, the virus waits until the user opens the file with the appropriate program, at which point the virus is executed.
Infectious Files
Infected files might be either software or an executable file. The bulk of known viruses are programs that infect other programs when they run; these viruses are categorized by the harm they cause. These infections should be viewed as unwanted guests in your computer’s data.
Selecting a Virus Protection Program
Having antivirus software installed on your computer is crucial. While this program is likely already installed on your computer, getting to know how it works is still a good idea. Currently, you can choose from a plethora of antivirus software options. I’ve collected a list of today’s top commercial and open-source antivirus programs.
McAfee Retail Antivirus is a top-notch antivirus program. As one might expect when dealing with high-tech threats, this US-based corporation has decades of expertise in developing antivirus software.
If you haven’t updated your system in a while, you may notice a slowdown in performance after installing Norton Antivirus (Retail), also known as Symantec Antivirus.
Free! Avast Antivirus Avast Antivirus is an efficient and (for personal use) costless antivirus program. Despite being a relatively new business, they’ve quickly grown in popularity thanks to the accessibility and low cost of their software.
Similarly to Avast, AVG is a free antivirus program that is small in size, simple to operate, often updated, and capable of protecting your computer from threats without drawing attention to itself.
What to Do If You Suspect a Virus Infection
There is a reasonable probability that spyware or a virus is to blame for your computer’s unusual slowness, complaints about issues, random reboots, blue error screens, and excessive pop-up windows.
In this situation, pausing for reflection is advised.
So, how do you proceed?
First, end everything you’re doing and close all open windows and documents.
2. Make your antivirus program functional by running it; you should do this before updating your antivirus software with the latest malware definitions.
Third, rerun your antivirus software after updating it to the latest malware definitions.
Fourth, if your computer is still having issues, spyware should be investigated.
Don’t start erasing data and software; you’ll only worsen things. If you don’t have any data backups, now is the time to start. If your initial attempt to detect and eliminate the virus fails, you won’t have to worry about losing any crucial files because a backup of the infected data certainly exists.
What Happens If a Virus Prevents You from Opening Your Antivirus Program?
It’s possible that a virus is to blame if you encounter an error when attempting to launch your antivirus program. There are three approaches to this problem.
One, boot from a rescue disk. If you were prompted to make a “rescue disk” by your antivirus software during installation and still have it handy, insert it into your computer and restart. The antivirus software on these rescue DVDs is activated before any other software (including Windows). They can detect and eliminate the virus if they load before it does.
Use a virus scanner that is accessible online. The following are just a few examples of the many antivirus providers who provide emergency online solutions available for free use:
Virus Removal: Avast!
* Kaspersky Anti-Virus Software for the Web
* On-Trend Home Visit
ActiveScan Panda
Carefully remove your disk drives, place them in a different computer, or gain access to them across a network, and then run a scan using another computer.
When to Seek Expert Assistance
If your computer is still sinking faster than the Titanic after all this, it’s time to bring in the experts. Don’t know someone with expert computer skills? Don’t worry; look in your local phone book under “Computers; Repair and Service,” and you’ll find many businesses that will gladly remove your PC and clean it up.
Get hourly prices, find a place to look at your PC for free, and offer you an estimate, just like you would when looking for a garage to take your car to.
Eliminating Computer Malware
Read also: https://journalall.com/category/technology/
