What Is a Computer Virus? A Brief History and Explanation

Getting a "virus" on your computer can be a simple annoyance or a devastating event depending on many factors, not least which bug you caught.

In short, what we call a "virus" is a computer program that can replicate itself and spread from one computer to another. The term "virus" is also commonly, but incorrectly used to refer to other types of programs, which include but are not limited to ad-ware and spy-ware programs that do not have a reproductive ability.

The first scientist to theorize about viruses in computers was John von Neumann in 1944, when he gave a series of lectures in which he contemplated the occurrence of self replicating computer codes.

One of the first viruses was "Creeper", written in 1971 by Cambridge, Mass. based programmer Bob Thomas. It was intentional, written in-house and deployed over a network without malicious intent. The code was able to replicate itself and spread to other computers on the ARPANET, which was a DARPA sponsored predecessor of the Internet. This virus did not cause much damage but it was proof of the theory regarding self replicating code.

The question of which has been the worst virus till now is open to a lot of debate, but certainly few will disagree that the ILOVEYOU bug has been the most damaging.

This is probably the most well-known virus of all time as it infected many home computers. The virus spread by sending an e-mail claiming to be a letter from a secret admirer. Once opened, the worm replicated itself and hid in several files on the computer. It opened an attachment called WIN-BUGSFIX.EXE, which, far from fixing the bug, was actually a password stealing application. The ILOVEYOU bug caused an estimated $10 billion in damages.

According to Eugene Kaspersky of the anti-virus company Kaspersky Labs, in 2011 new viruses and variants were being detected at a rate of 70 000 per day!

The collective term "malware" is often used for all bugs and includes viruses, computer worms, Trojan horses, most root-kits, spy-ware, dishonest ad-ware and other malicious or unwanted software.

Wikipedia defines Malware as; "Malware, short for malicious software, is software used or created by hackers to disrupt computer operation, gather sensitive information, or gain access to private computer systems. While it is often software, it can also appear in the form of scripts or code.'Malware' is a general term used to refer to a variety of forms of hostile, intrusive, or annoying software."

True 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 or malware have symptoms noticeable to the computer user, but many are surreptitious or do nothing to call attention to themselves. Some viruses do nothing beyond reproducing themselves.

Since the term "malware" is also one that causes a lot of debate some security professionals prefer to call them "parasites". This broader description from biology defines a parasite as "an organism that has sustained contact with another organism to the detriment of the host organism." (The Art of Being a Parasite, by Claude Combus, 2005 )

As you can see, there are a variety of malware that can infect your computer, it is best to use a multi-pronged approach which involves using several software programs to find and remove them.

For the full story of the Creeper "virus" you can read "The virus of Bob Thomas"

For more free tips, info and advice that saves you money, and a free guide to clean a virus from your computer, visit GetValue

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