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free anti virus software >> what is a virus?
What is a Virus?
A computer virus is a computer program that can copy itself. This, in itself does not cause harm, but many viruses and the like contain a malicious payload which can affect and harm your PC.
The term 'virus' is also sometimes taken to refer to other types of malware such as spyware, adware and trojans. Although they are not strictly viruses in that they will not generally copy themselves, they can still be harmful to your computer and steal your personal information.
A virus can spread from one computer to another when its host it taken to the uninfected computer, for example, by a user sending it via email or carrying it on a removable disk.
A trojan is a form of malware that presents itself as a legitimate program, such as an anti-spyware program, pirated versions of popular packages or may secretly install without their victim's knowledge. Once they have infected a system they may steal personal information, but generally do not spread.
Some viruses are designed to damage the computer by deleting or damaging files. Others are merely designed to copy themselves and won't do any damage but they can still be a nuisance by taking up computer memory and causing erratic behaviour such as system crashes and data loss.
Anti-virus software will usually defend against viruses and other types of malware, such as adware, spyware and trojans.
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