What exactly is a virus and what does it do?

A computer virus is a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer.The term "virus" is also commonly but erroneously used to refer to other types of malware, including but not limited to adware and spyware programs that do not have the reproductive ability. A true virus can spread from one computer to another when its host is taken to the target computer; for instance because a user sent it over a network or the Internet, or carried it on a removable medium such as a floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB drive.

Malware includes computer viruses, computer worms, Trojan horses, most rootkits, spyware, dishonest adware and other malicious and unwanted software, including true viruses. Viruses are sometimes confused with worms and Trojan horses, which are technically different. A worm can exploit security vulnerabilities to spread itself automatically to other computers through networks, while a Trojan horse is a program that appears harmless but hides malicious functions. Worms and Trojan horses, like viruses, may harm a computer system's data or performance. Some viruses and other malware have symptoms noticeable to the computer user, but many are surreptitious or simply do nothing to call attention to themselves. Some viruses do nothing beyond reproducing themselves.

There are many different Anti-virus protection programs out there. Many of them work very well but, we as a company are always in search for the best and the most efficient software for our clients. Many anti-virus programs seem to be too strong. Many of the most popular programs actually slow your computer down as the software tries to manage everything on your computer. We like software that has that strength without all the side effects and doesn’t try to do more than its core operation.

Kaspersky has been our choice for all of our client’s security for both corporate and our home users.