MYTHS ABOUT VIRUS AND
ANTIVIRUS
There are many common myths about computer viruses:
All computer error messages indicate a virus infection. That is
false; error messages can also indicate a hardware failure or
software errors.
Viruses and worms always require user intervention. False.
Code must be executed for a virus to infect a computer, but it
does not require user intervention. For example, a network
worm can automatically infect if a user's computer has certain
vulnerabilities.
Email attachments from known senders are safe. This is not
true, because they may have been infected by a virus and
used to spread the infection. Even if you know the sender,
don't open anything that raises questions.
Antivirus programs stop all threats. It’s important to detect
malware and many best antivirus software works in detecting
the malware before they affect your device. Even then, 100%
security is not guaranteed. Therefore, it is important that you
use common sense on the Internet to reduce your exposure to
attacks.
Viruses can inflict physical damage on your computer. What
happens if the malicious code causes the computer to
overheat or destroys critical microchips? Antivirus software
vendors have disproved this myth several times; this kind of
damage is simply impossible.
However, the rise of interconnected devices on the Internet of
Things (IoT) raises other interesting possibilities: what
happens if an infected car runs off the road or an infected
"smart" oven is forced to maximum temperature until
overload? The future of malware can make this type of
physical damage a reality.
People have various misconceptions about malware, such as
assuming that an infection is obvious. Often times, users
believe that they will find out if their computer is infected.
However, malware generally leaves no trace and your system
shows no sign of infection.
Also, don't think that all reputable websites are safe. If
hackers are able to compromise legitimate websites with
infected code, users are mor