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Viruses can hide in a host of places without being discovered.
Most common hideouts for viruses include:
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Web pages are developed in a specific language
and may contain elements known as Java
applets or ActiveX
controls, in which viruses can hide and infect users
that visit pages containing these components. |
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E-mail messages are a favorite hiding place for viruses and they represent
an extremely fast way of spreading. These messages can contain attachments that harbor viruses.
Simply opening these messages can lead to infection.
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The Main memory (RAM). Viruses can hide
in the main memory where they wait for a program
to be run (a file with an EXE or COM extension)
in order to infect it. This type of virus is known
as a resident
virus. |
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Boot sector: The boot sector of a floppy
or hard disk contains information on the characteristics
and contents of the disk. Some viruses, known as
Boot
viruses, enter this area as a means of infecting
the computer. |
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Files with macros make a convenient hiding
place for viruses. A macro
is a small program
that forms part of Word documents (with DOC extensions),
Excel spreadsheets (with XLS extensions) and PowerPoint presentations (PPT or PPS extensions). As
these macros are programs, they can be infected
by viruses. |

For more information, go to Techniques and Camouflage.
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