Causes system instability - This payload might cause the computer to crash or to behave in an unexpected fashion.

Compromises security settings - This payload might attempt to gain access to passwords or other system-level security settings. It might also search for openings in the Internet processing components of the computer to install a program on that system that could be controlled remotely by someone over the Internet.

Damage - The damage component measures the amount of harm that a given threat might inflict. This measurement includes triggered events, clogging e-mail servers, deleting or modifying files, releasing confidential information, performance degradation, errors in the virus code, compromising security settings, and ease by which the damage might be fixed.

Degrades performance - This payload slows computer operations. This might involve allocating available memory, creating files that consume disk space, or causing programs to load or execute more slowly.

Deletes files - This payload deletes various files on the hard disk. The number and type of files that might be deleted vary among viruses.

Encrypted Virus - A virus that uses encryption to hide itself from virus scanners. That is, it jumbles up it's program code to make it difficult to detect.

Large scale e-mailing - This type of payload involves sending e-mails out to large numbers of people. This is usually done by accessing a local address book and sending e-mails to a certain number of people within that address book.

Macro virus - A program or code segment written in the internal macro language of an application. Some macros replicate, while others infect documents.

Modifies files - This payload changes the contents of files on the computer and might corrupt files.

Payload - This is the malicious activity that the virus performs. Not all viruses have payloads, but there are some that perform destructive actions.

Payload trigger - This is the condition that causes the virus to activate or drop its destructive payload. Some viruses trigger their payloads on a certain date. Others might trigger their payload based on the execution of certain programs or the availability of an Internet connection.

Polymorphic Virus - A virus that has the ability to change its byte pattern when it replicates thereby avoiding detection by simple string scanning techniques.

Releases confidential information - This payload might attempt to gain access to important data stored on the computer such as credit card numbers.

Retrovirus - A computer virus that actively attacks an anti-virus program or programs in an effort to prevent detection.

Type: Hoax - Usually an e-mail that gets mailed in chain letter fashion describing some devastating highly unlikely type of virus, you can usually spot a hoax because there's no file attachment, no reference to a third party who can validate the claim and the general 'tone' of the message.

Type: Joke - A harmless program that causes various benign activities to display on your computer (e.g., an unexpected screen-saver).

Type: Trojan Horse - A program that neither replicates or copies itself, but does damage or compromises the security of the computer. Typically it relies on someone e-mailing it to you, it does not e-mail itself, it may arrive in the form of a joke program or software of some sort.

Type: Virus - A program or code that replicates, that is infects another program, boot sector, partition sector or document that supports macros by inserting itself or attaching itself to that medium. Most viruses just replicate, a lot also do damage.

Type: Worm - A program that makes copies of itself, for example from one disk drive to another, or by copying itself using e-mail or some other transport mechanism. It may do damage and compromise the security of the computer. It may arrive in the form of a joke program or software of some sort.

Virus Definitions - A list of currently known viruses. Anti-virus software uses these definitions to recognize and block viruses. With new viruses being created every day, it is important to keep these definitions up to date. First Step NetProtect updates our virus definitions every hour providing the maximum protection from e-mail viruses.