Viruses

A virus is a program that “infects” computer files, usually an executable program, by inserting a copy of itself into the file. These copies are usually executed when the infected file is loaded into memory, allowing the virus to infect other files. Unlike a computer worm, a virus usually requires unwitting human involvement.

David L. Smith, of Monmouth County, New Jersey, pleaded guilty and was convicted of emailing the “Melissa” virus from his home computer and disrupting computers worldwide in 1999. Smith was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison and was fined $5,000. The virus caused more than $80 million in damages. [1]

On May 17, 2009, a computer virus was discovered that forced the emergency dispatch system in Dallas, Texas, to be shut down for several hours. [2]

Endnotes

1. Jeremy Pearce, “Melissa Virus,” New York Times, May 5, 2002, 6.
2. Tanya Eiserer, “Dallas’ Emergency Dispatch Computers Are Latest Virus Victim,” Dallas Morning News, May 19, 2009, 3B.

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