Norton AntiVirus

Norton AntiVirus was the very first antivirus program for PCs, and it’s one of the industry leaders in antivirus software for both home and business use. Their products are consistently solid and reliable. They have one of the most complete suites of computer protection products available.

eTrust EZ Armor Antivirus

Computer Associates is established as a solid antivirus company for businesses; it’s a relatively new antivirus software company for home users. On the Web site, you can ask Sammy a question about viruses or antivirus programs by just typing it in. You can find out about specific viruses and how to configure your antivirus program.

Pictures Can Give You Computer Viruses

Nope. Well, not yet. Pictures are just data files that are read by special programs. But, someday, someone may come up with a picture file format that accommodates the inclusion of computer instructions — for whatever purpose someone dreams up. Are you thinking “macro virus” right now? So am I. Anytime someone comes up with … Read more

Viruses Can Hide inside Data Files

Hmmmm, well, this is theoretically possible, but I have not heard of such a virus. Yet. For now, viruses hide inside computer programs — and in the places where programs normally hang out (such as the boot sector of a floppy disk or a hard drive). By definition, data files aren’t executable, and viruses have … Read more

Types of Viruses

To date there are three primary types of viruses that exist today: file-infector viruses, which attach themselves to program files; boot-sector viruses, which install themselves in a hard drive’s or floppy disk’s boot sector; and macro viruses, which burrow into Microsoft Word and Excel documents. Details on each of these three follow. File infector As … Read more

The People Who Write Viruses

Sometimes I think that it helps to understand a little bit more about the people who perpetrate crimes, in order to be able to avoid being a victim of those crimes. Others of you may just have a morbid curiosity about those who like to hurt other people. Either way, you’ll learn a little more … Read more

How Early Viruses Spread from Computer to Computer

In the mid-to-late 1980s, data was most often transferred from computer to computer by using floppy disks and so-called bulletin board systems (BBSs), managed online locations that were the forerunners of today’s Web sites. Stowing away on floppy disks Even without using the Internet, people in offices where PCs were used traded and circulated programs, … Read more

The Origins of Antivirus Tools

In 1991, Symantec released the first version of Norton AntiVirus. Norton was a popular brand name among computer technophiles from the well-known and successful Norton Utilities program. Programs like Norton AntiVirus are designed to find and eliminate viruses from a computer, usually with three goals in mind: Make the virus stop doing harm to the … Read more

The People Who Write Viruses

Sometimes I think that it helps to understand a little bit more about the people who perpetrate crimes, in order to be able to avoid being a victim of those crimes. Others of you may just have a morbid curiosity about those who like to hurt other people. Either way, you’ll learn a little more … Read more