The computer virus is a new concern for computer users that has appeared in the last decade. Some people have found a way to create computer programs that silently replicate themselves on storage media without the computer user realizing it. These programs are referred to as computer viruses because, in many ways, they act much like a human virus. When human viruses invade the body, they may or may not cause trouble when they reproduce themselves. They begin to cause us trouble when that replication or something inherent to the virus begins to interfere with the body's normal functions. Likewise, when a computer virus begins to replicate, it may or may not be designed to cause trouble (some computer viruses are very dangerous because they are designed to damage data). But, as with human viruses, even if the virus is not designed to damage data, we would prefer not to have this kind of undetected replication going on. Even if a virus program was written just to replicate itself and nothing else (some people may write these programs just to see how far they will travel and how many computers they will infect), it may end up causing trouble by interfering with other programs.

Uploaded on Mar 9, 2007

Computer viruses range from pesky to outright dangerous. Some just display a message, while others erase your entire hard disk. Clicking on what looks like a harmless e-mail message can lead to hours of recovery efforts, if not irreparable damage. In this HowStuffWorks video you will learn about the different types of computer 'infection' and how to avoid them. Credits: , HowStuffWorks

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