What do viruses survive as?

Question

What do viruses survive as?

Answer 1

True that!  Viruses are kind of an anomaly.  Since they use other cells' machinery to reproduce, they aren't considered to be a live- so surviving is kind of a misnomer.

Answer 2

Hi,

I am not sure, in what context you are asking this?

Here is a difference in the Two Viruses:

computer viruses also have properties that diverge from those of organic viruses. First of all, unlike organic viruses, which have capsids, embodying their genetic code, the structure of computer viruses consists only of their code itself, and the manifestation of that code. The origin of computer viruses is also very different from organic viruses and in this lays their most fundamental difference. Because organic viruses were created through natural processes and computer viruses through artificial processes, it is this property that marks one as being life, while the other a possible form of artificial life. They also differ in the system they infect. Biological viruses, existing in our organic terrestrial world infect organic material; cells ranging from bacteria cells, to plant cells, to animal cells. Computer viruses, on the contrary, infect the files of their virtual world in cyberspace. Their main difference, however, is that, unlike organic viruses, computer viruses can exist outside this system. If an organic virus had no host cell to store and replicate its genetic material, the virus would not only fail to reproduce, but its genetic material would degenerate, ceasing the virus’ existence. The computer virus, on the other hand, can exist, and even replicate outside of the computer system, on a disk, for instance. In this way, computer viruses posses an attribute of life that organic viruses do not.

Conclusion

Of the seven properties of life, computer viruses display all but two: metabolism and individual growth.  Organic viruses, which some scientist debate as being life, are missing three qualities: metabolism, individual growth and an aspect of homeostasis.  In a sense, computer viruses are thus more alive that organic viruses.  In Earth’s history, the study of life has been narrowed to organic, carbon-based life forms.  However, as our knowledge of life grows and our ability to create living processes develops, the properties that once were considered essential to life must be questioned.  Life as we know it must be distinguished from life as it could be.  Growth and metabolism are two properties of life here and now, or Earth-based life, but their necessity must be questioned when looking at classifying all life.  Should the limitations of growth and metabolism within a virtual reality – one occupying no space – exclude the possibility of life?  Computer viruses exhibit some of the most fundamentals of all things considered alive.  Despite their artificial origin, many viruses have grown beyond the initial code of the programmers – adapting and evolving in order to survive.  Some display what could seem to be a protection or image of their “self.”  They have the ability to find hidden systems, recognize anti-viral software and explore different computer systems.  Perhaps computer viruses cannot be classified as life under the current definition, but a close examination reveals that, despite their wanting of certain features, they act and develop as most life forms, even more so than biological viruses.  In an attempt to create artificial systems to mimic natural life, programmers have managed to create alternative life.  Though not all computer viruses are advanced, those more advanced, the ones discussed in this paper, should constitute simplistic Artificial Life: life, or a creature displaying life qualities, artificially created.  

If it is related to computing.Here is more for you:

A Virus Named Brain:

The first virus, “brain”, was identified in 1986. It is no longer in the wild because it was afloppy boot sector virus that depended on those 360k 8-in. floppy disks. Amazingly, this firstvirus monitored interrupt 13 hex and, if you tried to examine the boot sector, intercepted your interrupt call and showed you an unaltered copy of the boot sector, making it the first stealthvirus as well. Most people agree the second virus was “stoned”; it affected 5.25-in. floppy disk

boot sectors, and its variants can still occasionally be found in the wild. Neither virus did anyharm; they were primarily considered curiosities.

One more thing that virus always comes in first 128bits.

Normally, security professionals require approximately 8 to 12 hours to generate a signature for a new piece of malware. This time interval had been acceptable for thwarting malware, but is no longer acceptable nor scalable due to the exponential increase in malware that is seen on networks.

Answer 3

viruses can be living or non living. viruses survive on living things, as we get cold because of viruse.

Answer 4

Viruses are living chemicals also and are capable of surviving in non lethal forms due to protein outer sheath.

(In Botany section computer virus has no importance, and so cant be mentioned)

Answer 5

Outside of their host cells, viruses can survive as minute macromolecular particles. They are composed of DNA or RNA surrounded by an outer protein shell. They are not classified into any kingdoms of life.

Answer 6

viruses tend to start living only after they enter a host body. otherwise they are  non living.