What is a Computer Virus?

In simple terms, a computer virus is much like a virus found in nature.  It's a malicious code that infects a host, replicates itself, attempts to spread to other carriers, and in some cases tries to protect itself from detection and removal.  Common e-mail computer viruses are no longer the threat that affected millions of computers over the past 20 years.  Because most are associated with e-mail attachments they are blocked by many Internet Providers anti-virus software even before they reach the end-user's computer.  As a result, malicious code writers are now focusing on web-site scripting that infects a computer by viewing a web page with imbedded malicious code.  This usually occurs because a security flaw was found in either Microsoft's Windows Operating System code, your internet browser, or within other common applications such as Adobe Acrobat Reader.  It is vital that both Windows and all software applications get updated as they become available to the general public.

Businesses should subscribe to a service that notifies the IT department of any updates, including application updates, as they become available.  For more information, contact Genesys Micro LLC.

Although the term "virus" is still used, the term "malware" is used to best describe the emerging threats to computing.

Please update your anti-virus program, common applications fixes, and Windows Security Updates.

 Download Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool
 Download Microsoft's Security Essentials Anti-malware Solution