Unlike worms, viruses often require some sort of user action (e.g., opening an email attachment or visiting a malicious web page) to spread.Ī virus is simply a computer program-it can do anything that any other program you run on your computer can do. Viruses used to be spread when people shared floppy disks and other portable media, now viruses are primarily spread through email messages.

Some viruses are harmless, others may damage data files, and some may destroy files.

Recovering from a Trojan Horse or VirusĪ computer virus is a program that spreads by first infecting files or the system areas of a computer or network router's hard drive and then making copies of itself.

These documents may be of particular interest if you have concerns about viruses and Trojan horses: US-CERT offers many resources to help you create a more secure home computing environment.

What are some general tips to avoid viruses and lessen their impact?.

How can I avoid a virus infection from email?.

Can I get a virus by reading my email messages?.

This information gives an introduction to viruses and ways to avoid them.

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