Computer English Learning: Analysis of Computer Viruses and Cybersecurity

Learning English is not only about mastering grammar and vocabulary, but more importantly about being able to use it naturally in real-life situations. However, sentences in textbooks are often too formal and far from real-life expressions. To speak authentic, natural English, you need exposure to real-life dialogues. Here, we have selected frequently used English expressions for daily life, covering social, work, and travel scenarios, helping you break free from 'textbook English' and learn the way native speakers really talk. Below is this issue's content of 'Computer English: Computer Viruses'. Keep practicing, and your English will become closer to real life!

Dialogue 1. Do you have virus protection software on your PC? No, I'm always installing new software and getting rid of old programs. Virus protection software usually makes that more of a hassle. But what will you do if you get a virus? I guess I'll just refuel it. My heart dropped and start over.

Dialogue 2. Computer prices are really coming down. Not for me, they are not. What do you mean? I mean, my wife has discovered how to shop on the web.

Dialogue 3. This is a mouse. With the mouse, we can move the cursor very quickly. Look at the screen. See the little line that blanks? That's the cursor. You can begin to type there. I don't want to tap there. Then move the cursor. Watch. I hold the mouse in my hand. Now I'll move it across the table. See the cursor move?

Dialogue 4. I tried to copy a letter to another disk. But I pressed the wrong key. I erased my most important letter. That's all right. We always have a backup copy. I don't know. I deleted the backup too. Well, we still have a hot copy. This is a file cabinet.

Passage. A computer virus is one kind of threat to the security and integrity of computer systems. Like other threats, a computer virus can cause the loss or alteration of programs or data. Unlike many other threats, a computer virus can be spread from program to program and from system to system without direct human intervention. The essential component of a virus is a set of instructions which, when executed, spreads itself to other previously unaffected programs or files. First, it copies itself into previously uninfected programs or files. Second, perhaps after a specific number of executions or on a specific date, it executes whatever other instructions the virus author included in it.

Depending on the motives of the virus author, these instructions can do anything at all, including displaying a message, erasing files, or subtly altering stored data. In some cases, a virus may contain no intentionally harmful or disruptive instructions at all. Instead, it may cause damage by replicating itself and taking up scarce resources such as disk space, CPU time, or network connection. Let us now examine a particular sequence of events by which a virus could enter an organization and spread within it. Suppose that the organization hires an outside person to come in and perform some work. Part of that person's work involves using one of the organization's personal computers. The person brings in a few programs to aid in this work, such as a favorite text editor. Without realizing it, the text editor may be infected with a virus. Using that editor on one of the organization's machines causes the virus to spread, from the editor to one of the programs stored on the organization's machine, perhaps to a spreadsheet program.

When an employee uses that spreadsheet subsequently, the virus can spread to another program, perhaps to a directory listing program that the employee keeps on the same floppy disk as the spreadsheet data files. The listing program is then infected, and the infection can be spread to other computers to which this floppy disk is taken. If the employee's computer is connected to the organization's network, the employee may send the listing program to another user over the network. In either case, the virus can spread to more users and more machines, through floppy disks or networks. Each copy of the virus can make multiple copies of itself and can infect any program to which it has access. As a result, the virus may be able to spread throughout the organization in a relatively short time. Each of the infected programs on each of the infected machines can execute whatever other instructions the virus author intended. If these instructions are harmful or disruptive, the pervasiveness of the virus may cause widespread harm.

Traditional security measures have attempted to limit the number of security incidents to an acceptable level. A single incident of lost files in a year may be considered acceptable, for instance. While this is important, it only addresses the immediate problem. A virus able to spread throughout an organization may cause much greater damage than any individual computer user could cause. Limiting the number of initial infections in an organization is important, but it is often not feasible to prevent them entirely. As a result, it is important to be able to deal with them when they occur and to take actions to erase them.

The above is the content on computer English and computer viruses organized by Qicaiwang, hoping it can be of some help to you!