Now it is the Chernobyl virus, which goes off on the anniversary of the world's worst nuclear accident, April 26. Most viruses are file infectors that spread from program to program and do damage to code, data, and directories. A file infector virus hidden on a floppy disk will transfer itself to any hard disk that the floppy comes into contact with. When another floppy disk is inserted into the computer containing that hard drive, the virus will copy itself onto that floppy disk. You can see why viruses can spread rapidly through an organization.
Viruses pose a serious threat to computer systems.
Hundreds of viruses are in existence, and more are being written each day. In addition, some new viruses are self-modifying so that each new copy is slightly different from the previous one, making it necessary to maintain constant vigilance to protect your computer. Anti-virus software, often called vaccines, provide the constant vigilance. The utility program refers to a database of known viruses and searches your hard drive, either upon booting or whenever you schedule it. When a virus is recognized, there is an alert and, in most cases the virus is eliminated.