Before we can comprehend how a computer virus works, it is important to realise what a virus does when it attacks the human body. Microorganisms such as viruses, are only able to divide within another living cell. It is typically harmful to the cell or body in which it lives, and is the cause of many illnesses and diseases.

Viruses are toxins and are therefore toxic to the human cells, they divide within the body causing illnesses such as chickenpox and German measles. Cell damage occurs in the human body causing illness, whereas in the computer, files are damaged and the computer malfunctions. The computer virus can be anywhere on your pc, usually hidden within a program, file or document.

Criminals, and other talented idiots with nothing better to do with their time, create these viruses and spread them to other people’s computers. This activity’s sole purpose is to create trouble and damage for every pc user. Just as influenza can spread from one person to another, contamination of other computers, files and documents can occur as a consequence of a virus entering a computer. Computer viruses can affect every part of the computer preventing it from working properly. As well as through removable storage devices such as memory sticks and floppy disks, it can spread itself through the Internet and through local computer networks. It can be unknowingly spread to other computers by the computer user since it is hidden and therefore hard to detect.

It works in a similar way to human viruses (like influenza) by making a person unwell. A ‘digital virus’ can be very harmful, while others are created to simply annoy and will literally make your computer ’sick’ but just what each type will do to your computer depends on what it has been programmed to do. Macro Viruses, Email Viruses and Trojan Horses. Taking appropriate safety precautions with regard to your computer will be easier once you have an understanding of what computer viruses are and how they work.