3.1. Task 3.1: Installing, Updating, and Running Antivirus Software

Computer viruses have been around for decades; Fred Cohen originated the term virus in the 1980s. Viruses depend on people to spread them. Worms, while closely related to viruses, spread without human intervention. Viruses propagate through three basic means:

Master boot record infection

The original method of attack works by attacking the master boot record (MBR) of floppy disks or the hard drive. It's now considered ineffective because so few people pass around floppy disks.

File infection

File infection is a slightly newer form of virus propagation that relies on the user to execute the file. Extensions such as .com and .exe are typically used. Social engineering is needed ...

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