What are Viruses

[thunder_184]

Ok, my friend said that hes a Virus PRO and tha he could send some and do what ever with them. I am very sceaptecal about this and what to show off by testing him with harsh questions.

The Problem is I don't have a clue what a Virus is. I know there something called Trojan or something like that but seriusly I REALLY what to see if hes lieing or not so...can u guys help me out here???

[onewecallgod]

your friend is either a script kiddie or some loser newbie who's trying to look tough to his adolescent friends.

a virus is a self replicating entity that causes damage in some way. in computer terms, it's a malicious file that causes damage and spreads itself to other systems.

the term Trojan [horse] comes from Virgil's Aeneid in which the Greeks built a horse, filled it with soldiers, gave it to the Trojans claiming it was a "gift from God." when the horse was placed within the walls of Troy, the Greek solders ran out and essentially destroyed the city. the computer term is exactly like the Aeneid: you're tricked into executing a file and it wrecks havoc on your system.

[Lefteris_D]

And if you don't mind the large ammount of text, the article at Wikipedia has alot of info to help you become aware of what a computer virus is.

Computer Virus @ Wikipedia

[Zach]

Ah, the Internet.. Someone runs a FateX middle-finger macro in an AOL chatroom and thinks they are god now

[thunder_184]

I know this is out of subject but...whats the diffrence bethoune normal internet (Bell, Rogers, etc.) and AOL?
Is it the same thing?
Is it less expencive?