In the digital age, we all face the threat of exposing our private information every time we connect to the Internet. This is why it is extremely important that people know how to protect themselves from digital threats. For people to protect themselves, they need to know the main types of malware, how they spread, and how to combat them. Generic virus is software designed to damage a computer, reproduce itself, and spread to other computers. Although viruses can be spread via CDs and USB drives, the most common way they are spread is via email attachments. (Brown 20-21) Email viruses are known to search for an infected person's email account and send a copy of themselves. to everyone on the people's contact list. Using clever disguises such as love messages or other seemingly innocent types of mail, the virus tricks users into downloading itself onto their computer, allowing the virus to wreak havoc and continue to multiply and spread. infect more computers. (Greenberg 2) An example of one of the most damaging viruses to date would be the “I Love You” virus. This virus manipulated Microsoft's Outlook Express email program to send itself to the email contact list of infected computers, disguised as an innocent message with an attachment declaring the senders' love. Once a user downloaded the attachment, their computer was infected and the virus replicated again. So what exactly did the virus do? “I Love You” would simply delete digital photographs and hide MP3 audio files. Although it doesn't sound like an incredibly threatening virus, it was taken very seriously. A State Department spokesperson announced that after finding several computers...... middle of paper ......1B." Ecommerce Times. 05/05/2000: 01-03. Web . October 24, 2011. Littman, Jonathan. The Fugitive Game Online with Kevin Mitnick, the Inside Story of the Great Cyber ​​Chase. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company, 1996. Print. Noyes, Katherine “Fighting the Maid. Global Cybercrime: Questions and Answers with Security Guru Mikko Hypponen, Part 2." TechNewsWorld. 24/-8/2011: n. page. Web. November 2, 2011. "Malicious Security Software, Fake Antivirus Alerts and Scareware." Np, October 26, 2011. Trojan Virus Np, October 24, 2011. “The “worm” that could bring down the Internet, October 26 2011. 2011. .