Viruses-And-Worms |
Learn the Difference Between a Virus and a WormViruses and worms are nasty little pieces of code that find their way into your hard drive, network and files - usually through e-mail applications or downloads. Although they have their similarities, there are a few things that separate them. How a Virus WorksA virus is a program or code that copies itself into other programs or documents. Sometimes you will unknowingly make yourself susceptible to a virus by opening a seemingly innocent e-mail, or opening an attachment. A virus can be dormant in your computer for a long time before making itself known or it can take effect as soon as it is let into the system. Viruses can be transferred by:
How a Worm WorksWorms are contracted in the same way viruses are, which is mostly through e-mails and infected files. A worm won’t usually affect your computer files like a virus will, but it remains in your computer’s active memory and duplicates itself there. Worms use other parts of your computer’s system to stay active, but they are usually parts that the user doesn’t see or even notice. A worm can go unnoticed until it begins to slow down the computer’s basic functions. What to DoLike spam, viruses and worms are almost impossible to get rid of completely. You can take precautions when opening your e-mail and downloading files. Anti-virus software can help too. |
