What are the most common computer viruses and how can I avoid them?
The most common computer viruses are:
1. The trojan horse: this virus disguises itself as a legitimate program or file in order to trick the user into downloading and executing it. Once executed, the trojan horse will allow the attacker to gain control of the victim’s computer.
2. The worms: this virus replicates itself and spreads to other computers through networks. It can cause a Denial of Service attack by consuming all the bandwidth or resources of the network it is spreading in.
3. The viruses: this virus attaches itself to legitimate programs or files and when executed, it replicates itself and corrupts the system.
4. The phishing scams: this type of scam tries to trick the user into disclosing sensitive information (such as passwords, credit card numbers, etc.) by masquerading as a legitimate website or email.
The best way to avoid getting infected by a virus is to install and update an antivirus program on your computer. You should also avoid downloading programs or files from untrustworthy sources, and never click on links or attachments in emails from people you don’t know.
What was the first computer virus?
In the early days of computing, viruses were generally spread by people sharing infected floppy disks. The first known computer virus, called “Creeper”, was created in 1971 by Bob Thomas of BBN Technologies. Creeper was a program that infected DEC PDP-10 computers running the TENEX operating system. Once a computer was infected, Creeper would display the message “I’m the creeper, catch me if you can!” and then copy itself to any other connected systems.
While Creeper was not malicious, it was a nuisance and it demonstrating that it was possible to write a self-replicating program. In response, BBN Technologies created the “ Reaper ” program to track down and delete instances of Creeper.
The first true computer virus appeared in the wild in 1986, and was called “Brain”. Brain was a boot sector virus, meaning it infected the boot sector of disks, making it impossible to boot from an infected disk. Brain was created in Pakistan, and the original intent was not malicious. The virus included the name, address, and phone number of its creator in the infected boot sector. However, Brain quickly became a problem as it started spreading outside of Pakistan.
Brain was the first virus to receive widespread attention, and it demonstrated the potential for serious harm that computer viruses could cause. Today, computer viruses are a major security threat and are responsible for billions of dollars in damage each year.
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