Keeping that in mind, let’s play: Is It a Virus?

Sometimes to understand what something is, we have to examine what it isn’t. Fortunately, most cybersecurity companies like Malwarebytes offer protection for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS today. Android and iOS are susceptible to various forms of malware, too. Today, the 'computer' in our pockets may be the one we use most often: our smartphones. There are more Windows users in the world than Mac user s and cybercriminals simply choose to write viruses for the operating system (OS) with the largest amount of potential victims. Macs, on the other hand, have enjoyed a reputation as virus-proof super machines, but in Apple's own admission, Macs do get malware. Many computer viruses target systems running Microsoft Windows. They are still a harmful type of malware, but they are not the only type of threat out there today, on your computer or mobile device. Worms, on the other hand, are able to spread across systems and networks on their own, making them much more prevalent and dangerous.įamously, the 2017 WannaCry ransomware worm spread around the world, took down thousands of Windows systems, and raked in an appreciable amount of untraceable Bitcoin ransom payments for the alleged North Korean attackers.Ĭomputer viruses don’t typically capture headlines like that-at least not anymore.

Viruses can’t spread without some sort of action from a user, like opening up an infected Word document. It’s that second virus trait that tends to confuse people. A computer virus attaches bits of its own malicious code to other files or replaces files outright with copies of itself.A computer virus requires user action to transmit from one system to another.A computer virus requires a host program.Once the flu virus gets inside a person’s system it attaches to healthy human cells, using those cells to create more viral cells.Ī computer virus works in much the same way: The flu requires some kind of interaction between two people-like a hand shake, a kiss, or touching something an infected person touched. The easiest way to differentiate computer viruses from other forms of malware is to think about viruses in biological terms. While a computer virus is a type of malware, not all malware are computer viruses. The terms “virus” and “malware” are often used interchangeably, but they’re not the same thing.

“When people talk about “getting a virus” on their computer, they usually mean some form of malware-it could be a virus, computer worm, Trojan, ransomware or some other harmful thing.” Virus vs.

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