What Kinds of Different Viruses are out There?
Boot Sector Viruses - These viruses load themselves into the boot sector of the
computer. This makes sure the virus is always executed. These viruses can change
the way your computer boots up, making it slower and load more than it normally
would. The soul intention of these viruses is to clog system resources. Although,
all computer viruses can load themselves to the boot sector to ensure thier
execution.
Trojan Horse Viruses - This is a program which is downloaded from a Bulletin
Board System and is made to look like a cool game. When the " game " is executed
however, it corrupts the File Allocation Table of the hard drive rendering it
inaccessible.
Modem Bombs - These are another kind of program designed to do harm to another
person's computer. Although it does not carry the same characteristics as a
virus it is just as harmful. A modem bomb is sent to you by another user on the
internet. When the program is ran is makes the modem of your computer think it
has 99 ports and makes the modem try to open all of them. This of course causes
the modem to fry leaving it useless.
E-mail Viruses - These are viruses which you download in you e-mail. Although
they are called e-mail viruses, you cannot get a virus from just simply reading
an e-mail. These viruses are usually found in an attachment to the e-mail and
are not executed until the attachment is opened.
Macro Viruses - These are macros which are designed to cause damage. They are
mainly executed through word processors.