Email Hoaxes A computer virus is a program that is designed by its author to secretly attach itself to other program files on a computer and thereby multiply itself. It may or may not have other features like displaying messages or doing damage.
Computer viruses are a very legitimate concern for microcomputers.
Viruses are most often contracted from accessing a floppy disk containing the virus. With a few exceptions, viruses are transmitted as part of a program file. One recent exception that is becoming a problem is transmission of Microsoft Word or Excel macro viruses. These can be transmitted via document files. Many programs are available to guard against and to remove viruses from floppy and hard disks.