Computer Viruses

Any computer connected to the internet faces a daunting range of electronic threats. Perhaps the biggest single threat to any computer is the humble software bug. Seemingly innocuous programming errors can be exploited to force entry into a computer and also provide the weak spots that allow computer worms and viruses to proliferate.

Many software bugs will simply cause a computer to crash. But an expert programmer can sometimes figure out how to make a computer malfunction in a creative way, so that it provides access to secure parts of a system, or shares protected data.

When a software vulnerability is revealed, it is often a race against the clock to apply the correct software patch before an attacker can convert the bug into an "exploit" that can be used to cause major damage.