Since the first malicious self-copying code appeared in 1986 Computer viruses have been making your computers and devices sick. Certain viruses can damage your device, whereas others may slow down your system or steal your data. In the majority of cases, if you take action quickly, you can remove the virus from your device.

A virus is a bit of software that, just like a flu virus, can reproduce by attaching itself to programs and files then infecting them. They later, make copies of themselves. Once an infection by a virus is detected in an application, it could spread to other programs and devices connected to the same network. These viruses can cause various damage including stealing passwords, credit card information deletion, corrupting programs, and even taking over your system entirely.

Depending on the kind of virus, it can spread from one machine to another via text or email attachments, Internet file downloads, or social media scam links. Infections can also affect smartphones and mobile devices by being hidden within shady app downloads. Certain viruses are playful in click reference both intent and effect while others were developed to make money.

Creating and spreading a virus is considered a crime in most countries. If you’re interested in learning how to make a virus, you can try using Notepad and other tools. This isn’t for the faint of heart however, it’s a fun method to test your coding skills. You’ll have to decide how your virus will behave once it’s infected with the system. This could be anything from displaying a message to deleting or corrupting data or even spamming contacts of your friends.