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Virus

Category:Malware
Type:Virus
Platform:W32

Summary

A program that secretly and maliciously integrates itself into program or data files. It spreads by integrating itself into more files each time the host program is run.

Disinfection

Allow F-Secure Anti-Virus to disinfect the relevant files.

For more general information on disinfection, please see Removal Instructions.

Additional Details

When searching our Virus Descriptions database for a specific program (e.g., Virus:W32/Example.A), you may be directed to this page if the overview below sufficiently describes the program.

Alternatively, you may be directed to this page if no description matching that specific query is currently available. You can submit a sample of the suspect file to our Response Lab for further analysis via:


About Viruse

A malicious program which integrates into and affects a program or file on a computer system, without the knowledge or consent of the user.

Viruses were once the most common type of malicious program and there are literally hundreds of thousands of viruses in the wild. These viruses are designed to attack various targets on the computer, including:

  • Executable or data files, such as applications, games and documents (file virus)
  • the boot sector (boot virus)
  • Macros (macro virus)

And much more.

A virus almost always arrives on a computer system as an executable file, most popularly as an e-mail attachment. Some viruses are spread as part of a Trojan's payload. Other common ways viruses are spread are through removable media such as floppy disks, CDs or USB thumb drives.


More

For more information about virus, see Terminology: Virus.