Boot sector virus

Boot Sector Virus

A boot sector virus is a type of malicious software specifically designed to infect the boot sector of a computer’s hard disk or other data storage device. It is also referred to as a “boot virus”. Boot sector viruses generally overwrite the master boot record (MBR) of an infected system in order to inject malicious code into a system’s startup process. Infected computers often suffer from reduced performance and increased system crashes.

The goal of most boot sector viruses is to ensure that a malicious executable code is loaded and executed each time the computer boots up. As a result, the virus is able to propagate itself and spread to other computers on a local area network. Boot sector viruses can also be used by attackers to gain access to sensitive system information or launch disruptive attacks.

The earliest boot viruses date back to the 1960s. Modern boot sector viruses are more sophisticated and harder to detect and remove. As such, they pose a significant threat to computer networks. To prevent being infected by boot sector viruses, users should keep their antivirus software updated and make sure that their computers are protected by a firewall.