multipart virus — A form of virus that infects both the boot sector of a hard disk and executable files. Multipart viruses are difficult to locate because they use stealth and polymorphic techniques to avoid detection. See also boot sector virus; file… … Dictionary of networking
virus — A program intended to damage a computer system without the user s knowledge or permission. A virus clones itself from disk to disk or from system to system over a network. Numbers are hard to come by, but certain authorities claim that… … Dictionary of networking
polymorphic virus — A form of virus that can change its appearance to avoid detection. The virus encrypts itself using a special formula each time an infection occurs. Virus detecting software uses special scanning techniques to find and remove polymorphic… … Dictionary of networking
boot sector virus — A virus that infects the master boot record of a computer by overwriting the original boot code with infected boot code. This kind of virus is usually spread to a hard disk from an infected floppy disk being used as a boot disk. See also… … Dictionary of networking
file-infecting virus — Any virus that infects files on disk, usually executable files with filename extensions of .COM, .EXE, and .OVL. An unexpected change in the file size may indicate an infection. In certain cases, the original program is replaced with a new… … Dictionary of networking
macro virus — An executable program that attaches itself to a document created in Microsoft Word or Excel. When you open the document and execute the macro, the virus runs and does whatever damage it was programmed to do. See also boot sector virus; file … Dictionary of networking
stealth virus — A form of virus that attempts to hide from antivirus software and from the operating system by remaining in memory. See also boot sector virus; file infecting virus; macro virus; multipart virus; polymorphic virus; Trojan Horse; vaccine … Dictionary of networking
antivirus program — A program that detects or eliminates a computer virus. Some antivirus programs can detect suspicious activity on your computer as it happens; others must be run periodically as part of your normal housekeeping activities. An antivirus… … Dictionary of networking
infection — The presence of a virus or a Trojan Horse within a computer system; the virus may be active in memory or present on the hard disk. The infection may remain hidden from the user for a considerable length of time. Some viruses are triggered… … Dictionary of networking
inoculate — To protect a file against attack from a virus by recording characteristic information about it and then monitoring any changes. See also antivirus program; boot sector virus; file infecting virus; infection; macro virus; multipart virus;… … Dictionary of networking
