THE 9 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MOST PROMINENT COMPUTER VIRUSES - TECHNOLOGY - 2024

One of the main characteristics of computer viruses is related to the fact that they are programs created by hackers that attack the code of a computer, infecting the files on the computer's hard drive or its source code.

Once the virus has been copied onto the computer, it can contaminate other equipment that comes into contact with that machine.

The behavior of computer viruses is similar to that of biological viruses because they remain in a latent state.

This means that there is a period in which the infected computer shows no symptoms. During this period, the virus makes copies of itself to ensure its persistence.

This differentiates it from other infectious programs (such as Trojans) that do not multiply.

After the latency period, the virus is activated and executes the function for which it was created, be it destroying the information in the computer's memory, replacing a program, among others.

Computer viruses are malicious programs, also called malware, that replicate themselves by modifying the code of a computer and replacing it with their own code.

The creation of viruses responds to various motivations: sabotaging in the corporate sphere, sending political messages, testing the vulnerability of systems, among others.

The 9 main characteristics of computer viruses

1- They are executable

Viruses are executable programs that insert themselves into other programs, as if they were parasites, in order to take advantage of the benefits that the latter have, such as access to certain parts of the software.

2- They remain latent

Viruses can remain dormant or incubating. This means that the virus will not attack the computer the first time it comes into contact with it.

Instead, it will remain hidden for a certain time: it can be a day, a week, a year or more, depending on the instructions with which it has been programmed.

During this latency period, the virus makes copies of itself. This is done in order to gain access to different points of the equipment's code, while guaranteeing its survival in the event that one of its copies is detected by an antivirus.

3- They are transferred from one element to another

The action of a computer virus is similar to that of a biological virus. In living beings, viruses are transmitted from one organism to another.

If these viruses find the right conditions in their hosts, then they will reproduce to infect more parts of the body.

When this happens, the host begins to show symptoms of the disease and could even die.

In a homologous way, computer viruses are transmitted from one computer to another through various means.

The most common forms of “contagion” are the installation of pirated programs (not original), the downloading of files from unverified web pages and the connection of contaminated removable drives (USB memory sticks, disks, among others).

4- They are activated from a trigger

Viruses can be triggered in different ways. There are viruses with specific indications regarding their activation. For example, some are scheduled to act on a certain date and time.

Others leave the latent state when a particular event occurs; for example, that a certain number of virus copies have been completed, that a specific file has been downloaded, among others.

When the virus enters the computer, it checks whether the conditions are conducive to its activation. If yes, then the infection and destruction process begins. If the virus finds that the conditions are not right, then it remains latent.

The fact that viruses work with triggers makes them more harmful, because they are endowed with a kind of intelligence.

5- They are destructive

In general, computer viruses are destructive. However, the degree of destruction will depend on the instructions with which they were programmed.

Some reduce the efficiency of computers. Others destroy the equipment code completely, rendering it useless.

There are also viruses that are responsible for eliminating files stored in the computer's memory, so that they can no longer be recovered or that they are difficult to access.

6- They are intended for a particular objective

Computer viruses are designed to act on a specific computer and operating system.

For example, there are viruses that were developed to work only on computers with Windows as the operating system. Other viruses have been created to infect Android smartphones.

7- They remain hidden

Viruses are designed to stay hidden for a certain time. In order not to be detected, these programs usually weigh 1 kb or less.

If the virus did not remain hidden but acted immediately once it had come into contact with the computer, it would lose the opportunity to replicate itself and spread to more systems, interrupting the evolutionary cycle of the program.

8- They are changeable

Virus detection is sometimes impossible or more difficult due to the changing nature of viruses.

Certain viruses are programmed to mutate and update in order to stay hidden from antivirus eyes.

Antivirus software works with patterns. This means that such software has a malware database, which serves as a comparison method to detect infectious programs.

However, if the virus changes as it replicates, the antivirus will not be able to recognize it as an infectious program.

9- They are persistent

The effects of viruses are persistent. Even after infectious programs have been detected by antivirus, their effects are seen on computers.

For example, if the virus was directed to the memory of the computer, it is possible that the data stored there has been lost forever.

If it is viruses that contaminated a network of computers, removing the malware will be a demanding task, since it can be transmitted from an infected computer to a healthy one in a matter of seconds, expanding the virus's range of action.

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