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Getting Ill Sucks.

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Subhajit Kundu
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49 views3 pages

Getting Ill Sucks.

Uploaded by

Subhajit Kundu
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as TXT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Getting ill sucks.

When you’re ill, everything seems hard work. Well, for a computer, it’s no
different.

Computer viruses – sometimes known as malware – come in many different forms. And
there are lots of them – last year, these were an incredible 350,000 new pieces of
malware (each one is a single piece of intrusive software) detected every single
day.

From minor pests that slow your computer down to serious bugs that steal your data,
here are the computer viruses you need to know about and what steps you can take to
avoid them all.

Types of Computer Viruses


Viruses can find their way onto just about any device – from Windows PCs and Macs
to iPhones and Androids.

That’s right. Even phones are susceptible, particularly Android phones – a recent
report found that Android devices were responsible for 26% of all infected devices,
including Windows PCs, IoT devices and iPhones.

And while Macs are often said to be more secure than PCs, latest data shows that
this is actually not true, with more threats being now detected per endpoint on a
Mac compared to a Windows computer.

But either way, don’t worry. We’ve summed up the most common computer viruses and
how you can avoid them below:

10 main types of computer virus - TechBuddy Infographic


Macro Virus
This type of computer virus is normally found in Microsoft Office programs. Word
and Excel files are favorite places for macro viruses to embed themselves. Like
most other viruses (except spacefillers – more on these later) macro viruses
increase the size of files when they infect them, as they attach their own code.
Once a macro virus infects a file, it can easily spread to other computers when
that file is shared, for example via email.

Boot Sector Virus


Much like beepers and Tamagotchis, boot sector viruses are terrible little things
that were big in the 90s. One of the oldest types of viruses, boot sector viruses
go straight for the core of your computer, affecting the startup or ‘boot’ process.
Back in the day, these viruses were spread through floppy disks. Nowadays, they
attach themselves to emails or USB sticks. If your computer catches one of these,
you’ll need an expert to carry out a full system reformat (Windows, Mac).

Trojan Horses
Taking their name from the huge wooden horse in which the Greeks hid to get inside
the ancient city of Troy, these are among the sneakiest of computer viruses. Used
by cyber-criminals, Trojan horses are disguised as normal programs, tempting you to
install them on your computer. Once installed, the viruses gain access to your
computer's files and capture your private data – think passwords and online banking
information. This can then be used by hackers to make online purchases with your
bank account or expose your private information.

Overwrite Virus
overwrite-virus
When it comes to pests, these take first prize. Overwrite viruses typically take
over a file and wipe the original code without you even knowing it. Once deleted,
the original files cannot be recovered and the data is lost. They often spread
through emails via attachments or through file downloads on the internet, so always
scan files with an anti-virus software before downloading and opening them. This
will help you detect these viruses before they even have a chance to cause
problems.

Browser Hijacker
The digital equivalent of a crooked cold-caller salesman, browser hijackers take
over your internet searches and redirect you to pages you didn’t even want to
visit. While not as harmful as other types of viruses – they trick you rather than
steal from you – browser hijackers are still an annoying problem since they
significantly lower your UX when surfing the internet. If you experience lots of
random pop-up adverts or your usual homepage browser has changed without you
telling it to, chances are you’ve got a browser hijacker. Always scan email
attachments before opening and avoid downloading files from suspicious websites to
avoid browser hijackers.

Web Scripting Virus


This is one for the modern age. Web scripting viruses are very clever little bugs
that blend into the background of popular websites – usually social media
platforms. They disguise themselves as normal links, tempting you to click on them.
Then, like a greedy schoolyard bully, they steal your cookies. Ok, different
cookies – we’re talking the kind of cookies that store your information. Still, web
scripting viruses definitely shouldn’t be taken lightly – they can send spam to
your system and damage your data, and can spread faster than most viruses.

Polymorphic Virus
polymorphic virus
This is one sly virus. Like a chameleon changing its color for every situation, a
polymorphic virus modifies whenever it replicates. This makes it hard for most
anti-virus programs to keep up. Once it’s found its way onto your computer –
usually through an email attachment or a download from a suspicious website – it
has free reign to delete your files, steal your data, and generally sabotage your
system. The bad news is these shape-shifting charlatans are on the rise. The good
news is that the top antivirus programs are starting to adapt alongside them, using
more sophisticated scanning techniques to catch these chameleons in the act.

Resident Virus
One of the most common types of virus you’ll (hopefully not) come across, these
sneaky little squatters find their way into your computer’s memory, completely
uninvited, and make themselves at home. Just think of your old flatmate’s annoying
friend who would invite themself over every night and steal your Ben and Jerry’s
from the fridge. Resident viruses can come from email attachments, infected
downloads or shared files and are then activated whenever your computer performs a
specific action and can even attach themselves to anti-virus software, scamming the
very thing that’s tasked with bringing it down. The best solution? Get an expert
involved.

Multipartite Virus
Sometimes called ‘multi-part viruses’ these flexible fiends are on the rise. While
most viruses either attack a computer’s central boot sector or through its files, a
multipartite can do both. A versatile virus is hard to prevent, which explains the
rapid growth rate of multipartite in recent years. They usually spread through .exe
files – so programs like Word and Excel. How do you know if your computer is
infected with a multipartite virus? Well, these viruses eat up your virtual memory
like nothing else, so expect lots of ‘your computer has low virtual memory’
messages and a sudden slowing down of your computer.

Spacefiller Virus
Also known as ‘‘cavity viruses’, spacefiller viruses find the empty spaces in a
program code and climb right in by adding their own code. This way, they don’t
alter the size of files (as other viruses do), which makes them very hard to
detect. Most antivirus programs find it hard to catch spacefillers, but there are a
few manual virus-hunting tools that tech experts use to root them out. Thankfully,
they’re not only hard to detect, but they’re also hard to create and there aren’t
many file types that they can attach to. This makes spacefiller viruses very rare.

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