There are many types of computer viruses or malware. Some are not dangerous. But some can have real consequences for your security and your bank account. Here are seven computer viruses to watch out for.
1. Boot Sector Viruses
From the user’s perspective, boot sector viruses are the most dangerous. Because they infect the owner’s boot files, they are difficult to remove and often require a complete system format. This is especially true if the virus has encrypted the boot sector or corrupted the code too much.
They peaked in the 1990s when floppy disks became the norm, but you can still find them on USB drives and in email attachments. Fortunately, improvements in BIOS architecture have reduced their popularity in the last few years.
2. Direct-acting viruses
Direct-acting viruses are one of the two main types of archive-infecting viruses (the other is internal viruses). This virus is considered “non-resident”; it does not install itself or hide in the computer memory. Once the person completes the information, it works by searching for other similar information in the guide that will be presented.
3. Multipartite Viruses
While some viruses are content to spread or send a load in a single way, multipartite viruses need it all. These viruses can spread in many ways and can differ from the computer they infect depending on different factors such as operating settings or the possession of certain files.
Zones and executable files allow them to be transmitted quickly and easily. Even if you wipe the machine’s data program, if the virus is still in the boot area, it will reoccur when you turn the computer back on.
4. Polymorphic Viruses
According to Symantec, polymorphic viruses are the most difficult viruses for antivirus programs to detect/remove. Vaccine companies have to “spend days or months developing the detection methods needed to detect a single polymorphism,” he said. The meaning is in the name.
Antivirus software can only blacklist one type of virus, but polymorphic viruses can change their name (binary structure) each time they replicate. To an antivirus program, it looks like a completely different piece of software and can therefore escape the blacklist.
5. Coverage Virus
A coverage virus is one of the most stressful viruses for end users, although it is not dangerous to the entire system. The content it spreads; The only way to get rid of the virus is to delete the file, thus losing its content. It can also transmit personal data along with all software. They had their heyday in Windows 2000 and Windows NT in the early 2000s, but you can still find them in the wild.
Most computer viruses are easy to avoid
As always, take the necessary steps to protect yourself If you are unlucky enough to be infected, it is best to solve the big problems yourself. (Even free online virus scanners and removal tools will do the trick if you want.) Also, don’t open e-mail from untrusted sites, don’t trust free USB sticks at conferences and trade shows, and don’t let strangers use your body . . . and don’t download software from random websites. And make sure your keyboard isn’t going to betray you.