How do Viruses Spread?

A computer virus is a program or code that infects other programs in the computer by either attaching or inserting itself to that program.

The virus will usually attach itself to software or documents that one may receive or download from the Internet. Some viruses are very harmful and may cause the entire computer system to lockdown or they may erase all files present in that computer.

There are three main ways through which computer viruses are spread; they can be spread when an individual downloads documents or programs from the Internet, they can be spread from removable media like flash disks or floppy disks and they can also be spread from email attachments sent to an inbox. 

Most people believe that the Internet is the biggest culprit when it comes to spreading viruses; the fact of the matter is that one is no more likely to get a virus from the Internet than you are from getting it from packaged software. It is almost impossible to get a virus from a plain text email. Most viruses will spread through attachments.  

The damage that a virus is likely to cause depends on a number of factors. The level of sophistication of the virus is one of these factors. The more sophisticated the virus the larger the damage caused. A virus may cause the computer to become unusable by reformatting the hard drive or deleting all files. They may also slow down the computer. There are some sophisticated viruses that will affect computer networks or even the Internet connection. 

The best way to limit virus spreading is to install and run an anti-virus program that will scan all attachments before downloading them. One can also limit the number of downloads that they do and ensure that the anti-virus program is updated regularly.