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Wouldn’t
it
be nice if all of those people who write and propagate computer viruses
found
another, more innocuous hobby?
We all know
that a computer virus, like a
biological virus, can spread rapidly and contaminate normal files and
documents. A virus
can cause a variety of problems
from distorting data within to
making a file virtually impossible to open.
Fortunately, most antivirus programs contain the ability
to fix infected
files by neutralizing and removing the malicious code and returning the
file to
its uninfected state. Thus, the
antivirus program has “repaired” the file or document.
New viruses
emerge suddenly and spread amazingly fast through the Internet and
email, so
antivirus programs have to be vigilant for unanticipated threats. Many
programs include a quarantine
feature. This allows them to automatically isolate any file that
shows
the same characteristics as a virus based on the antivirus
program’s own database of such behavior.
The
quarantined files are set aside in a kind of electronic holding pen
where they
cannot be started or opened. You can
usually view quarantined files and remove them from the quarantine area
if you
choose to. Your antivirus
program may also have the ability to send
any suspect files to the research
department of antivirus program’s maker for further examination.
Remember: to be able to
recognize
new viruses as they come along you've
got to
constantly update your antivirus
program. An old antivirus
program is a useless antivirus program! Source: http://tech2.nytimes.com
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