Virus disinfection for business networks
Overview
A virus is a general name that can be given to a computer program that installs itself and runs on a computer system without the users knowledge and to detrimental effect. A better name for a virus type program is 'Malware' as this also encompases spyware, trojans and other pieces of code. Most pieces of malware are contracted via an internet connection. Both PCs and network servers are equally at risk from malware infections.
Malware infection
There are hundreds of thousands of types of malware. The most dangerous ones aim to exploit the computer it installs itself upon (known as the 'host'), find relevant data and copy it across the internet to another computer. The data could be email addresses, account details, passwords, or PIN numbers. Other malware can aim to delete data, whilst others may just create annoying advertising pop-up screens which just appear when the internet browser is used.
Malware disinfection
Depending on the type of infection, some malware can be easily removed but others will require the whole computer to be reinstalled and configured from scratch, possibly losing data on the way.
Malware protection
There are many products on the market that will help keep a computer system clear of malware infection. Some are more complex than others, but all need installing and configuring correctly; if not the computer can run particularly slowly.
