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There are tens of thousands of macro virus is floating around in the internet and they can be picked up very easily with the simple opening of a document. Once the document opens and the system becomes infected then all documents created there after are infected. The user inadvertently will pass the macro virus on to everyone who belongs to the network.
The second type of virus occurs when you open an email attachment. The attachment contaminated destroys your system and all the files that you created. Knowing how the virus works helps you to be able to combat any virus but what about the newly created virus. The ability to keep your system safe and secure depends on the programs that you use to fight any virus that may come your way. It also depends on how careful the user tries to be when opening programs. We are now going to present scenario of computer virus that explains how a computer virus may take place and then spread to others in the network.
Jane who is a freelance writer obtains all her articles from one source then she passes the assignments on to her network for completion. The supervisor Greg received a large group of assignments from a new client and in haste forwarded them on to Jane without opening or checking for any virus. Greg gave the instructions that he was about to leave for vacation and Jane would now take over, however, before distributing the assignments please open assignment B-12 and complete returning it instantly. It seems that the new client was desperate for a short blogs in order to open up his new website. The new client not being familiar with the use of anti-virus programs or personal a hacker had compromised firewalls and this particular request contained a very dangerous virus.
Jane trusting that Greg had checked the article for a virus and knowing the urgency opened the article request and began creating a 200-word document for the new client. When the document was completed, she forwarded a copy to Greg and to the new client. Jane then downloaded all the requests formatted them, divided them into categories and sent them on to those who were in her network.
When Jane created a new document in her excel program to enable her to be able to track the assignments this document became contaminated from the 200-word document she created previously. Jane now had a ticking bomb in her system but not a clue what was about to happen. Jane made the assignments to everyone in her network passing on their work sheet to enable them to receive assignments and returned completed for payment.
Each person in her network now had the virus. Jane had a network that consisted of twelve writers each of these writers had their own network of about six more writers. The first twelve writers were able to infect about 72 more writers plus friends and family members that they emailed on a daily or weekly basis. The number infected spread in a matter of hours losing count by the time the virus had become full-blown destroying systems, documents, and networks. The problem had to be contained and the person who spread this virus stopped. Naturally, no one expected Jane or Greg not even Jane and Greg.
Greg returned from vacation fresh and relaxed ready to begin. He opened up the emails sent to him by each of his providers, which numbered about 100. When Greg opened his emails and responded to each of the 100 people in his network and they in turn responded to their people you could see the terrible act that the whole network now faced.
If your computer has been running slow or just not performing as well as it did when you first purchased it, you owe it to yourself to find out the cause of your problem. One possibility is that have a computer virus. Viruses can wreak havoc on your computer's performance, and it is important that you know what you are up against. Here is a "computer virus" definition, along with 5 signs you have one.
What a Virus Is:
A computer virus is a program that can copy itself and spread across one or more computers when they are connected to a network without the knowledge of the user. Viruses can be particularly tricky to remove from your computer because they can self-modify or change over time as they copy themselves.
Fortunately, viruses can only spread across multiple computers if an uninfected computer is connected to a network, or if the computer gets connected to infected media such as a USB drive or a CD.
Do you suspect your computer might be infected with a virus? Look for these tell-tale signs:
1. Computer is running more slowly than usual:
If your computer runs slowly upon start-up, you may have a virus. Common signs are having to wait a long time to perform simple tasks such as checking e-mail or opening files. In really serious cases, your mouse pointer may even lag as it moves across the screen.
2. Locks up or crashes frequently:
Does your computer frequently just stop working or otherwise lock up, causing you to have to restart your computer? This phenomenon is also called freezing or freezing up. If your computer locks up often and/or suddenly, a virus could be the culprit.
3. You cannot access your disks:
If you are having trouble accessing your internal hard drives or external disk drives, your computer may have a virus. For example, if you click on your directory and cannot gain access to your disks, this is a tell-tale sign you may have a virus.
4. You cannot print items correctly:
Printer performance an also be affected by the presence of a virus. For example, if your printers are not accessible or if the printing results are not satisfactory, this could be a sign of a virus at work.
5. Your anti-virus software is disabled for no apparent reason:
Most computers ship with anti-virus software pre-installed. The best anti-virus products should be more than sufficient in keeping your computer protected. However, you know you have a serious problem if your anti-virus software itself seems to be repeatedly disabled upon start-up or when you try to run a virus scan. The most dangerous viruses can actually try to block your anti-virus software from working properly (for obvious reasons), which effectively renders your computer open to all potential invaders.
Viruses are not the only things that can cause performance problems for your computer. Other common causes are malware, adware, spyware, and registry problems. If your computer is not performing properly, you should explore all possibilities, including these other common causes of degraded performance.