Malware
Computer virus
In Turkish: Bilgisayar virüsü
A program that attaches itself to other files and spreads when those files are opened or shared.
A true virus needs a host: it hides inside a file or program and runs when you open it. It then copies itself into other files, which is how it travels from one computer to the next on a shared drive or an email attachment.
In everyday speech people call every harmful program a virus. The difference rarely matters for you; the habits that protect you are the same for all of them.
What to do
- Keep built-in protection such as Windows Security switched on and updated.
- Do not open attachments you did not expect, even from people you know, before asking them.
- Scan a file from an unknown source before you open it.