We know more now about computer viruses than ever due to the high volume of them out there. Computers are such a big part of our lives in terms of what we do at home and at work that is hard to imagine not having them. This reliance on them though has also opened up the opportunity to viruses to come along and cause havoc.

The concept of a computer virus dates back to the early 1960’s. Back then though computers were widely used in the military and a few businesses. So even though such problems were out there they weren’t as commonly known about. In the late 1980’s the biggest problems came to light about computer viruses. In fact, people everywhere were afraid to use a computer.

They were worried about their computers not working, people being able to see them, and people worried about how viruses were reaching them. Some people took it personal and others were just about to take it all in stride. What was evident though is that something had to be done. That is when the proactive movements of tough firewalls and anti virus programs were introduced.

However, the problem is that as the prevention for computer viruses started to come out the situations with virus problems were also going high tech. Those involved with creating them are often extremely talented in terms of what they can offer in designing programs. As the technology behind computer programs has made it faster and easy for us to complete tasks, it has also become easier for someone to create a virus and to inflict it on computers around the world.

When you toss in the fact that that social media has caused the use of the internet to explore, it doesn’t take long at all for any virus to spread. Computer uses love to send information about particular things to others and there can be viruses hidden in those jokes, links, and other details that are shared. Most of the time such information with a virus in it is sent unintentionally.

Not using a computer though in today’s society is really unpractical and out of the question. Instead, the situation comes down to someone being able to protect their system effectively all of the time. Pay attention to your computer, don’t open things that you aren’t sure of, and install one of the best anti virus products on the market so that you can have a great line of defense.

If you feel that you may have a virus you need to get your computer looked at right away. Don’t send any data to someone as you can be spreading that virus to them without even knowing it. Pay attention to the media coverage of various virus problems too as they can alert you to potential risks that are circulating.