As such, there are different types of viruses, which normally differ in how they function and how they are spread. Instances of these include Trojan horses, worms, email viruses, and logic bombs. It would be most important for you to know these types of viruses so that you can better protect yourself from them, along with having the proper programs which will enable you to get rid of them.

Trojan horses are quite simply computer programs that can’t reproduce themselves, but can cause damage anywhere from minimal to extremely dangerous. It usually disguises itself as a common file (maybe an .mp3 music file or a .jpeg picture file) but carries out the damage when the computer user opens it. This is why you should take even more care when opening a suspicious looking file – as it could very well be a Trojan horse.

Worms are self-reproducing programs that most mainly use security holes in order to spread themselves throughout the network. If your computer has been infected with a worm and is able to replicate itself several times, this will usually cause your computer to slow down noticeably since it will use your computer resources and memory in order to do so. They will often make use of security flaws in operating systems (such as Windows) in order to self-reproduce.

Email viruses can be self-explanatory – they spread via email. Once a user opens the infected email, what it will usually do is send itself to other computer users through the email addresses found in the user’s address book. Due to the fact that it uses email and a lot of people open emails without really checking or being careful, it spreads very rapidly across the entire world and can cause chaos within just a few days.

Logic bombs are viruses which can target specific computer applications, causing them to crash (for example, Windows). This can also be spread through email attachments or by innocently downloading it off the Internet. It can also cause a great deal of harm (particularly if it infects Windows and the like), or, with some luck, just a small amount (small program).

Fortunately for computer users, there are anti-virus programs available anywhere, whether in the Internet or at the computer shop. These programs specifically target over thousands of viruses and wipe them clean from your system (if infected) or protect you from any incoming attacks (if not already infected).

Anti-virus programs are constantly updated (normally everyday) since there are always new virus definitions every day, and these new viruses can also infect you. These software developers are always researching about the newest viruses in order to ensure you, the user, are protected from these viruses as much as possible. Your PC security and safety are always being taken into consideration.

Interested? More on the next page: Step Three - Protecting Your Password