A computer virus is a program code that acts similarly to a biological virus. The malicious code infiltrates the system and, by creating its own copies, leads to a mass infection of the computer. If the infected system communicates with other computers, it can also lead to infection. This way, computer viruses, like biological viruses, can cause digital epidemics.
Computer viruses may have different functions, but most often the malicious code deletes or corrupts data. In some cases viruses slow down the system and sometimes they can even damage the hardware of a computer or server.
There are different ways of spreading computer viruses: via e-mail attachments, via links in messages, via infected websites, via USB drives, and by embedding them in software that looks like legitimate software.
Antivirus software is a relatively effective protection against viruses, but it does not guarantee complete protection. To reduce the probability of computer virus infection, you should use only licensed software, do not visit websites with questionable content, and do not open email attachments received from unknown recipients.
For commercial and industrial IT infrastructures, implement comprehensive solutions and security policies that minimize the likelihood of malicious code entering the system.