Computer viruses are programs.

Viruses got their name by the fact that they spread in a similar way on computer systems as a human virus spreads among people.

They are created by intelligent, irresponsible people who know exactly what they are doing.

Sometimes these people can be disgruntled employees, who wish to cause damage/inconvenience to their employer’s business. Perhaps more worrying in today’s climate are those anti-establishment techno-warriors or religious fanatics who perhaps are more ‘dedicated’ to their havoc-causing activity.

These programs can have a variety of effects on computer systems, ranging from nuisance, annoyance, destructive and being ultimately dangerous!

Commonly, viruses are coded to replicate themselves and spread from one computer system to another. They can be spread via any removable backing storage media. The increased use of the internet (and networks in general) by business and individuals has opened up a new avenue for the proliferation of viruses which attach themselves to email.