What is a Virus?
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses can infect all types of life forms, including bacteria, animals, plants, and people. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is an example of a virus that can cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
Viruses are much smaller than bacteria. Most viruses range in size from 5 to 300 nanometers (nm). One nanometer equals one billionth of a meter. Although viruses vary in size, shape, and complexity, they have certain common features. All viruses contain genetic material, either DNA or RNA, wrapped in a protein coat. The coated virus, called a virion, is the infectious particle.
When a virion comes in contact with a living cell, it injects its genetic material into the cell. The viral DNA or RNA then directs the cell to produce more viruses. The infected cell continues to produce new virions until it bursts and dies. This release of new virions often kills the host cell. As the virions spread from cell to cell, they can infect many different cells in the body.
Despite their simplicity, viruses are extremely diverse. Over 5,000 virus species have been described, and new ones are being found all the time. Viruses cause a variety of diseases in animals, including rabies, foot-and-mouth disease, and Zika fever. They also cause plant diseases, such as mosaic disease of tobacco and cauliflower mosaic virus. In people, viruses cause colds, flu, and warts. More serious viral diseases include Ebola hemorrhagic fever, AIDS, and avian influenza.
Viruses are not considered living organisms because they cannot function or reproduce on their own. They must enter a living cell in order to replicate. However, some viruses can remain infectious for long periods of time outside a living cell. For example, the influenza virus can remain infectious for days at human body temperature, or even longer at lower temperatures.
The word “virus” comes from the Latin word “virus”, which means “poison” or “slimy liquid”. The French scientist Louis Pasteur first used the term in 1892 to describe a filterable agent that could cause disease.Today, the term “virus” is used to describe a wide range of infectious agents, including bacteria and parasites as well as viruses..Extra resources
How to Remove Spyware from Your Computer
If you think your computer is infected with spyware, you have a few options for removing it. You can use an anti-spyware program to scan your computer and remove the spyware, or you can remove it yourself manually.
If you want to remove spyware yourself, you’ll first need to identify the spying program. Check your list of installed programs for anything suspicious. If you find a program you don’t recognize, search for its name online to see if others have reported it as spyware.
Once you’ve identified the spyware, you can remove it with an anti-malware program like Malwarebytes or Spybot Search & Destroy. These programs will scan your computer for the spyware and remove it.
If you can’t find the spyware with an anti-malware program, you can try removing it yourself. First, use Task Manager to End any process that is related to the spyware. Next, delete any files or registry entries associated with the spyware. Finally, restart your computer to complete the removal.
If you’re still having trouble removing the spyware, you can try using a bootable anti-malware program like Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free or Spybot Search & Destroy. These programs can be downloaded on another computer and used to create a bootable USB drive or CD. Once you’ve created the bootable drive, boot your infected computer from it and run the program to remove the spyware.
If you can’t remove the spyware yourself, you can take your computer to a professional to have it cleaned for you.
Visit malwarezero.org to learn more about types of spyware. Disclaimer: We used this website as a reference for this blog post.