Viruses

Viruses

But why?

Table of Contents:

1. What is a virus?
2. Who invented the first computer virus and what did it do?
3. How can I check if I have a virus?
4. I have a virus, what do I do?
5. Lowering the chances of getting a virus.



1. What is a virus?
A computer virus is a type of Malware which, can affectively, read your emails, record EVERY keystroke, activate ANYTHING, and much more horrible things. The normal files that viruses use are: .EXE and .BAT as I think they can open by themselfs... I'm not sure. Amazingly (and shockingly), over 50% of systems are infected by trying to download software like VLC Media Player.

2. Who invented the first computer virus and what did it do? (Note: This as the first that could infect wirelessly)
The first computer virus (Recorded) is suprisingly called: "Creeper". It was created in the 1970s, and it's creator was called "Bob Thomas".  This virus was found on the forrunner of the Internet "ARPANET" and displayed on the victims screen "I'm the Creeper, catch me if you can!". Creeper gained access  via the ARPANET and copied itself to the remote system and displayed the message. After a few months, the "Reaper" program was created to dis-infect the PCs.


3. How can I check if I have a virus?
On Windows systems, a program called "Windows Defender" is installed with most Windows packages. I recommend using the "Quick Scan", although, if you want a thorough scan, select "Full". But, remember; no Anti-Malware software can clear every virus, so try virus-scanners like "Malware-Bytes" or "Avast! Anti-Malware".


4. I have a virus, what do I do?
Well, I kind of answered it above, your anti-malware program should delete it automatically, or pop up with an option to delete it. You should NEVER restart or shutdown your computer. Doing so would let the virus do anything. If you have Google Chrome, you should be safe - it has a built in virus-blocker.

5. Lowering the chances of getting a virus
A good way of lowering the chances of getting a virus is switching Operating System (OS). For example, there are much more chances of getting a virus on Windows than getting one on Linux or MacOS, because they use different files. As most viruses are .EXE, Mac doesn't support it, so it can't infect your PC.
If you don't want to swap OS (which a lot of people don't want to!) Then install all of the anti-viruses you can! Trust me, no one anti-virus will clear all viruses, so use a good selection!


Blurb:
.EXE - Type of file, usually viruses come in this file
Windows - Operating System (OS)
Mac - Operating System (OS)
Linux - Operating System (OS)
Malware - A Virus
ARPANET - An Old Forrunner of the Internet.
Reboot - To restart a computer system/tablet computer.
Software - A program that can run on your computer.
Hardware - A Device that is connnected to a computer; a keyboard, a mouse etc.
Google Chrome - A web-browser.
System - My definition of computer.
Scan - To check for something; I scanned the room for my phone.
Cancel - To stop something from happening.
Infected - To be harmed by a virus or in real life to be harmed by a bug etc.

Thank you very much for reading this,


Max (cakeface)