What are some ways that computer viruses spread?

Answer 1

Computer Viruses, or malicious sections of code intended to damage a computer system, spread in several ways. True viruses are self-replicating, meaning that there is a piece of code causing them to copy and distribute themselves. By:

Posing as something useful (known as a Trojan horse) ie a download, a gift from a friend, etc. Current scam is a 'gift card' or an 'ecard' email that tries to run a malicious script when opened. Because you gave the computer the command to open the file, the virus has an easy path in. By:

Emailing itself - will search for anything fitting an email address xyz.com and then send itself there. By:

Infecting a 'clean' file without the owner's knowledge - lots of viruses can be spread this way, by people downloading files from safe sources that have been hacked by people intent on spreading viruses. By:

Using networks - if one computer on a Local Area network or wireless network is infected, this type of virus will infect every computer on that network if not blocked by a suitable firewall. By:

Using removable media - usually, disks, USB drives, external hard drives, floppies, CDs etc. are not checked by the virus scanner when they are inserted, so a virus hiding on one can get onto the computer unquestioned. Most viruses are spread by 'freaks' or people who hack computers and write viruses because they are essentially twisted people who enjoy causing damage. Some are more targeted, ie stealing information or money, or destroying particular programs. All of them have the potential to do great damage, and there are more ways to spread them than mentioned above.;