Parasitic Virus

A Parasitic Virus, also known as a file virus, is spread by attaching itself to executable programs. When a program infected with a parasitic virus is opened, the virus code runs. To hide, the virus passes control back to the original program. Your computer sees the virus as part of the program you were trying to run and gives it the same rights. These rights allow the virus to copy itself, install itself in memory, or make changes to your computer. Parasitic Viruses appeared early in malware evolutionary history and then became quite rare. However, they are making a comeback as security researchers have recently identified new parasitic viruses and given them names like Sality, Virut and Vetor.

Source: RMON Networks

Related Terms: Melissa Virus, Memory-Resident Virus, SQL Slammer Virus

Should SMBs and MSPs worry about Parasitic Viruses?

To learn about other types of Viruses, watch this short video:

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