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Viruses enter computers through the same communication channels used to exchange information. These can be classified into three groups: Internet, networked computers, and removable disks. And no, computer viruses enter through the mouse.
Internet
The Internet has become the most widely-used form of sending and receiving information. Unfortunately, it also serves as the fastest way to spread a virus.
What this means is that although the Internet presents us with numerous ways to send information, each one of these has its risks.
Some forms of information exchange include e-mail, browsing web pages, transfer of files through FTP, downloading programs, chat and newsgroups .
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Networks
A network is a group of interconnected computers (via cable, modem, routers, etc.) that makes it easier for groups of people to work together. Each computer that forms part of the network can connect to all other networked machines, making it possible to share information and resources (printers,scanners, etc) without the need for a removable disk.
This makes working in groups easier but also offers a convenient channel for viruses to spread: virus infection is more likely in networked computers than in standalone machines.
If one computer in the network gets infected, others connecting to it will also become infected, causing a chain reaction that can paralyze the entire network.
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Removable disks
Removable disks are storage devices on which data is stored in the form of files or documents. These disks enable documents to be created on one computer and then used on another. These types of storage devices are floppy disks, CD-ROMs, DVDs and removable disks.
If any of the programs, files or e-mails saved on a disk are infected, using this disk in another computer will spread the virus.
Before the Internet became the most popular from of communication, exchange of floppy disks was the most common form of spreading a virus. Today it is less usual for viruses to spread through disk drives but it still represents a significant risk.
For more information, go to Entry points .
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