Anti Virus
A computer virus is a program - a piece of executable code - that has the unique ability to replicate. Like biological viruses, computer viruses can spread quickly and are often difficult to eradicate. They can attach themselves to just about any type of file and are spread as files that are copied and sent from individual to individual.
Besides replication, some computer viruses have something else in common: a damage routine that can deliver the virus payload. While payloads may only display messages or images, they can also destroy files, reformat your hard drive, or cause other kinds of damage. If the virus doesn't contain a damage routine, it can still cause trouble by taking up storage space and memory, and downgrading the overall performance of your computer.
Several years ago most viruses spread primarily via floppy disk, but the Internet has introduced new virus distribution mechanisms. With email now used as an important business communication tool, viruses are spreading faster than ever. Viruses attached to email messages can infect an entire enterprise in a matter of minutes, costing companies millions of pounds annually in productivity loss and clean-up expenses.
Viruses won't go away any time soon. More than 10,000,000 will be identified in 2008 alone (up from up from 5,400,000 in 2007 and 1,200,000 in 2006), and over 1,100 new ones are created every hour according to the International Computer Security Association. With numbers like those, it's safe to say that most organizations will deal regularly with virus outbreaks.
For more information on Anti-Virus products, please see the product links below:
