June 21, 2008
Computer Viruses: Old vs. New
When we compare new computer viruses versus the old viruses, the most common conclusion is that not much has changed in function. Viruses were, and still are, destructive programs that can wreck your computer. New and old viruses are also capable of stealing information from your computer. What has changed is the way the new viruses infect computers today. In the old days, new viruses had it easy. Anti-virus programs were pretty much in their primitive stages; and the concept of periodic updates has not yet been institutionalized. Usually, a new anti-virus program would be old in a month. Now, virus engineers have to be creative in finding ways to infect computers as fast as they can. Once their viruses have been detected, it can be wiped clean in a day.