Parasitic Virus

Parasitic viruses are those that modify some existing code resource to effect replication. The major distinction here is that companion viruses are not parasitic, and the standalone ’worms’ (such the mass mailers and network creepers) tend not to be parasitic. Overwriters tend not to be considered parasitic either. Although macro virus infection necessitates the modification of document files, it has been common for macro viruses to remove pre-existing macros, making them more akin to overwriters. Thus, usually only those macro viruses with a replication method that retains (some of) the pre-existing macros from a target are considered parasitic. Some researchers consider such viruses parasitic only if macros within a module used by the virus are retained.

Updated On: 05.08.28