STORAGE DEVICES

A storage device is hardware that is primarily used

to store data. Each desktop computer, laptop,
tablets and smartphones will have some type of storage device in their
interior and you can also get external storage units
independent ones that can be used on multiple devices.

Storage is necessary not only to save files but also to

execute tasks and applications. Any file that you create or save in the
computer is stored on the storage device, just like
any application you use, as well as the operating system you are on
run the computer.

As technology has advanced over time, devices have

data storage has also evolved significantly. Today
Nowadays, storage devices come in many shapes and sizes, and
there are several different types of storage devices that suit
different devices and functions.

A storage device is also known as media of

storage or storage support; digital storage is measured
in megabytes (MB), gigabytes (GB), and currently, terabytes (TB).

Some computer storage devices can retain

information permanently, while others can only retain
temporary information. Each computer has both storage
primary as secondary, where the primary storage acts as
short-term memory of the computer and the secondary, like memory of
long term of the computer.

TYPES OF STORAGE DEVICES

Primary storage: random access memory (RAM)

Random Access Memory, or RAM, is the main storage of a

computer.

When you work with a computer file, it will store

temporarily the data in the RAM. This memory allows performing
everyday tasks such as opening applications, loading web pages, editing a
document or play games, and allows for quick switching from one task to another without
lose the progress. Basically, the larger the RAM is
computer, the more fluid and faster it is for you to multitask.
RAM is a volatile memory, which means it cannot retain information.
once the system is turned off. For example, if you copy a block of text,
you restart the computer and then try to paste that block of text into a
you will discover that the team has forgotten the copied text. This is due to
that was only temporarily stored in the RAM.

RAM memory enables a computer to access data in a

random order and, therefore, reads and writes much faster than the
secondary storage of a computer.

Secondary storage: hard disk drives (HDD) and disks of

solid state (SSD)

In addition to RAM, each computer also has another unit of

storage that is used to keep information long-term, and this
known as secondary storage. Any file that you create or
downloads are saved in the secondary storage of the computer.
There are two types of storage devices that are used as
secondary storage in computers: HDD and SSD. While the
HDD are the most traditional of the two, SSDs are quickly surpassing them.
HDD as the preferred technology for secondary storage.

Secondary storage devices are often removable, so

you can replace or update the computer storage or transfer it
the storage unit to another computer. However, there are notable
exceptions, such as MacBooks, which do not offer removable storage.

Hard disk drive (HDD) units

The hard disk drive (HDD) is the original hard drive. They are devices of
magnetic storage that has been used since the decade of the
cincuenta, aunque han evolucionado enormemente en el transcurso del tiempo.

A hard drive is made up of a stack of rotating metal disks.

known as dishes. Each rotating disk has millions of tiny
fragments that can be magnetized to represent bits (1s and 0s in code)
binary). An actuator arm with a reading and writing head scans the
turntables and magnetizes the fragments to write digital information on the
HDD detects the magnetic charges to read the information from it.
In addition to the storage of laptops and PCs, HDDs are used
for TV and satellite recorders and servers.

Solid State Drives (SSD)

Solid-state drives emerged much more recently, in the decade of

the nineties. SSDs do not rely on magnets and disks; instead, they use a
type of flash memory called NAND. In an SSD, semiconductors store
information changing the electric current of the circuits that contains it
unit. This means that, unlike hard drives, SSDs do not require
moving parts to function.

Therefore, SSDs not only operate faster and smoother than HDDs (the
HDD takes longer to gather information due to its mechanical nature.
of their plates and heads), but they also tend to last longer than HDDs (with
so many intricate moving parts, HDDs are vulnerable to damage and to
wear.)

In addition to the new PCs and high-end computers, you can find
SSD in smartphones, tablets, and sometimes in video cameras.

External storage devices

In addition to the storage media contained in a computer,

there are also external digital storage devices
computers. They are commonly used to expand capacity
storage when a computer runs out of space, to allow for a
greater portability and to facilitate file transfer from one device to
another.

External hard drive and solid-state drive units

You can obtain both HDD and SSD devices as external drives.
general, they offer the largest storage capacity among the options
external, with external HDDs offering up to 20 TB of storage and (at a
reasonable price) external SSDs that offer up to 8 TB of storage.

The external HDDs and SSDs work exactly the same way as their
internal homologues. Most external units can be connected to
any computer; they are not tied to a single device, so they are a
decent solution for transferring files between devices.
Flash memory devices

We mentioned flash memory before when talking about SSDs. A device of

flash memory contains millions of interconnected flash memory cells that
store data. These cells contain millions of transistors that, when
they turn on or off, representing 1s and 0s in binary code, which allows for
a computer reads and writes information based on the electric current of the
transistors.

Perhaps the most recognizable type of flash memory device is the flash drive.
USB. Also known as portable storage devices or
simply 'USB', these small portable storage devices
have long been a popular option for storage
additional to the computer. Before it was fast and easy to share files
online, USB flash drives were basically essential for moving with
facilitating the files from one device to another.

Nowadays, a USB flash drive can hold up to 2 TB of storage.

They are more expensive per gigabyte than an external hard drive, so even though it is
it is unlikely that someone is using USB memory units for
storing all your personal data has remained a simple solution
and convenient for storing and temporarily transferring smaller files.

In addition to USB drives, flash memory devices also include

SD and memory cards, which you will recognize as the storage medium.
that is used in digital cameras.

Optical storage devices

CDs, DVDs, and Blu-Ray discs are used for much more than just playback.
music and videos; they also act as storage devices and,
collectively, they are known as optical storage devices or media
of optical disc.

The binary code is stored on these disks in lowercase form.

protrusions along a track that spirals out from the center of the
. When the disk is in operation, it spins at a constant speed,
while a laser contained in the disc drive scans the protrusions
from the disc. The way the laser reflects or bounces off a bump determines
it represents a 0 or a 1 in binary.

A DVD has a narrower spiral track than a CD, which allows it to

store more data despite having the same size, and in the units of
DVD uses a finer red laser than in CD units. The DVDs
they also allow for a dual layer to further increase their capacity. Blu-Ray
llevó las cosas a otro nivel, con el almacenamiento de datos en varias capas con
even smaller protuberances that require an even finer blue laser to
read them.

CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, and BD-ROM refer to storage discs.

optical drives that are read-only, which means the data written on them is
permanent and cannot be deleted or overwritten. They are commonly used for
software installation programs, but cannot be used as a
personal storage device.

CD-R, DVD-R, and BD-R format discs are recordable, but they cannot be
overwrite. Any data you save on a recordable blank disk will
will be permanently stored on that disk. So they can store data,
but they are not as flexible as other storage devices.

CD-RW, DVD-RW, and BD-RE are rewritable, so you can write.

continuously new data on them and delete unwanted data. While
that have largely been surpassed by new technology, such as memory
Flash, CD-RWs were for a long time the first option for the
external storage: most desktop computers and many
laptop computers have a CD or DVD drive.

The CD can store up to 700 MB of data, the DVD-DL can store

up to 8.5 GB and the Blu-Ray can store between 25 and 128 GB of data.

Floppy disks

Although they may be almost obsolete at this moment, we cannot talk about the
storage devices without at least mentioning the humble floppy disk. The
floppies were the first portable storage devices and
widely available removable. They work in the same way as disks
hard, though on a much smaller scale.

The storage capacity of floppy disks never exceeded 200 MB before.

that CD-RWs and flash drives became the media of
preferred storage. The iMac was the first personal computer released
to the market without a floppy disk drive, in 1998 and, from then on, the
the reign of more than 30 years of the floppy disk was rejected very quickly.

Cloud storage

Although it is not exactly a device in itself, the storage in the

Cloud is the newest and most versatile type of storage for computers.
"The cloud" is not a place or object, but a huge set of hosted servers.
in data centers around the world. When you save a document to the cloud,
you are storing it on these servers.

Because everything is stored online, cloud storage does not use

no secondary storage of the computer, which allows you to save
space.

Computer Virus

A computer virus is executable malicious software or code that self-executes.

reproduce by taking control over other programs on an infected computer.
Designed to spread from a host computer to other computers, the virus
an IT person is added to a software component or a document and stays there
there until the user opens the file in question. When this happens, the virus
it will start executing its code and will cause damage to the computer.

There are many ways to contract a computer virus, with the download of
files, email attachments, installation of compromised software, or links
garbage on social media. You can spread the virus if you share the
files or the infected links with others. If your computer is part of a
red, with which a single user opening the dangerous file on their desktop can be
sufficient for the whole network to commit.

TYPES OF COMPUTER VIRUSES

There are various types of viruses, which vary according to their function or the way in which they operate.

it runs on our computer altering its activity, among the

most common are:

Trojan: It consists of stealing information or altering the hardware system or in

An extreme case allows an external user to take control of the equipment.
Worm: It has the property of duplicating itself. Worms use the
automatic parts of an operating system that are generally invisible to the
user.
Logical or time bombs: These are programs that are activated when an event occurs
determined event. The condition is usually a date (Bombs of
Time), a combination of keys, or certain technical conditions (Pumps
Logic). If the condition does not occur, it remains hidden from the user.
Hoax: Hoaxes are not viruses and do not have the ability to reproduce on their own.
They are false content messages that incite the user to make copies and
send it to your contacts. They usually appeal to moral feelings ("Help to
a sick child with cancer) or to the spirit of solidarity ("Notice of a new
 dangerous virus") and, in any case, they try to take advantage of the lack of
experience of novice internet users.
Joke: Just like hoaxes, they are not viruses, but they are annoying, an example: a
pornographic page that moves from side to side, and if it happens to be clicked on
closing may cause a window to appear saying: OMFG!! It cannot be done
close!

Other types based on different characteristics are those related below:

Resident virus: The main characteristic of these viruses is that they hide in
the RAM memory permanently or resident. Thus, they can
control and intercept all operations carried out by the system
operational, infecting all those files and/or programs that are
executed, opened, closed, renamed, copied. Some examples of
These types of viruses are: Randex, CMJ, Meve, MrKlunky.
Direct action virus: Unlike residents, these viruses do not
they remain in memory. Therefore, their top priority is to reproduce and
act at the very moment they are executed. Upon the fulfillment of a certain
condition, they activate and search for the files located within their own
directory to infect them.
Overwrite virus: These viruses are characterized by destroying the
information contained in the files that infect. When they infect a file,
they write within their content, making them totally or partially
useless.
Boot virus (bot_kill) or startup: The terms boot or sector of
Boot refers to a very important section of a disk or drive.
of storage CD, DVD, USB drives, etc. It stores the
essential information about the characteristics of the disk and is found a
program that allows the computer to start. This type of virus does not infect
ficheros, sino los discos que los contienen. Actúan infectando en primer lugar el
boot sector of storage devices. When a
the computer starts up with a storage device, the virus
the boot will in turn infect the hard drive.
Boot viruses cannot affect the computer as long as there is no attempt to boot up.
on its way to the latter with an infected disk. Therefore, the best way to
defending against them is protecting storage devices against
writing and never turning on the computer with one of these devices
unknown on the computer.
Some examples of this type of virus are: Polyboot.B, AntiEXE.

Link or directory virus: The files are located in certain

directions (basically composed of drive unit and directory), that the
operating system knows to be able to locate them and work with them.
Link or directory viruses alter the addresses that indicate where to
they store the files. In this way, when trying to run a program
(file with EXE or COM extension) infected by a link virus, which this
What actually happens is executing the virus, as it will have modified the address.
where the program was originally located, placing it in its place.
Once the infection occurs, it becomes impossible to locate and work with the
original files.
Encrypted viruses: More than a type of virus, it is a technique used by
some of them, which in turn may belong to other classifications. These
virus se cifran a sí mismos para no ser detectados por los programas antivirus.
To carry out its activities, the virus deciphers itself and, when it has
finalized, it is re-encrypted.
Polymorphic viruses: They are viruses that encrypt themselves with each infection they carry out.
a different way (using different algorithms and encryption keys). From this
they generate a high number of copies of themselves and prevent
antiviruses locate them through string or signature searches, for
what are usually the most expensive viruses to detect.
Multipartite viruses: Very advanced viruses that can perform multiple
infections, combining different techniques for this. Its aim is any
element that can be infected: files, programs, macros, disks, etc.
File virus: They infect programs or executable files (files with
EXE and COM extensions). When the infected program is executed, the virus
activates, producing different effects.
FAT virus: The File Allocation Table or FAT (in English File
Allocation Table) is the section of a disk used to link information
contained in this. It is a fundamental element in the system. The
viruses that attack this element are especially dangerous, as
they will restrict access to certain parts of the disk, where the
critical files for the normal functioning of the computer.

COMPUTER ANTIVIRUS

Computer antivirus programs are application software designed to

detectar y eliminar de un sistema computarizado los virus informáticos. Es decir,
It is a program that seeks to remedy the damage caused by these.
invasive forms of software, whose presence in the system is not usually
detectable only when its symptoms become evident, just like viruses
biological.

During the 1980s, with the emergence of exchange technologies

digital information such as floppy disks and, later, the Internet became possible
connecting numerous computers in succession. This brought with it the
the emergence of computer viruses, and later, spyware, malware, and others
Forms of harmful software that enter without the user's consent into the
machine and cause various types of damage: reconfiguring key sequences, deleting
personal files, to kidnap private information, etc.

The remedy, then, was to acquire a computer antivirus, offered by various

commercial programming companies to ensure monitoring, cleaning and
protection of computers. In the absence of them, the user faced
risks of damage to the system and spreading the virus each time it is copied
a floppy disk or to send an email.

Currently, there is a wide range of antivirus services available.

essential as we spend more and more time connected to the internet,
receiving and sending information to and from unknown computers.

TYPES OF COMPUTER VIRUSES

Types of antivirus according to their purpose

Preventing, identifying, or eliminating are the three possibilities that arise for
to eradicate a virus and, according to them, there are three models of antivirus:

Antivirus preventives: they are characterized by anticipating infection to avoid it.

entry of a malicious program into the computer. Therefore, its name makes
reference to its ability to prevent virus attacks on systems
computers. However, when stored in the computer's memory, it does not
they are the most used, as they can slow down the performance of the equipment.

Antivirus identifiers: their function is, as the name indicates, to identify

threats that can affect the performance of the operating system. To do this,
they explore the system and examine the byte sequences of the codes that are
related to dangerous programs.

Antivirus decontaminators: their goal is to end the infection

that has damaged the computer, removal of viruses for that. Likewise, also
try to return the system to the state it was in before being attacked
due to the malware.
Types of antivirus according to their specific objective

Spy programs, data appropriation for fraudulent purposes in certain

websites, pop-ups, input at our email address
unsolicited email messages... These are some of the threats to the
that are exposed a computer or its owner. To prevent each of
there are concrete tools that are part of antivirus programs,
especially in their full versions. Let's see what they are:

Firewall: also known as a firewall, it falls under the category

of preventive tools, as it acts as a defense wall that tries to
to block the access of malicious programs to a system. It is very
recommended, especially for those teams with permanent connection (or
to a network or to the Internet. The purpose of the firewall is to control the traffic of
entry and exit, and to stop suspicious activities.

Antispyware: they are applications that detect and remove spyware programs.
to say, those that are installed on the computer secretly to know the
user's browsing habits as well as their passwords and other data, that
then they transmit to an unauthorized entity.

Antipop-ups: its aim is to identify and prevent the execution of annoying ones.
pop-up windows that appear while browsing the Internet, known
like pop-ups. Many programs are hidden in some of those windows.
spy.

Antispam: it is the utility used to prevent the arrival of junk mail

(spam) to the inbox of our email address, sending it
directly to the recycling bin or to the spam folder.

Antimalware: more than just a tool, it is usually a program that blocks and
removes any form of malware, being Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (MBAM)
A well-known example. Malware, in fact, is any malicious software or
program that infiltrates a computer with the aim of damaging it. In many
on occasions, it is used as a synonym for 'virus'.

Types of antivirus according to their function

Antivirus, according to what has been explained in previous sections, can fulfill
various functions in their fight to identify cyber threats and put an end
with them. Thus, defense applications can be classified into:
Eliminators-repairers: the objective of these antivirus is focused on eliminating the
threats from the affected parts of the system. In addition, later, they repair
the computer to restore it to its previous state.

Detectors: their function is nothing other than to alert the user to the presence of
a known virus. However, in this case, it is the user who is in charge
to solve the problem to end the infection.

Immunizers: they stand out for their safety, as they anticipate entry or
attack of any malicious program. Installed in the device's memory,
they are primarily responsible for monitoring the execution of the applications,
format the disks and copy the files.

Heuristics: they function as a simulator, as they pretend to start up

programs to see how they behave and identify suspicious situations.

Residents: like the immunizers, are found in the memory of the team and their
the function consists of analyzing the programs from the moment the user
it opens, checking whether the opened file contains a virus or not.

Types of antivirus according to their category

Finally, to conclude our extensive classification of antivirus, we have referred to

its category or condition, related to its way of acting or the place where it
installs:

Passive antivirus: it is one that has no operation or protection.

permanent, even if it is installed on the computer.

Active antivirus: it is that program that, although it may not perform a

constant protection, yes it is executed and works, carrying out some kind of
action, continuously.

Online antivirus: is not installed on the machine, but performs the scans.
from the Internet. Therefore, it does not work as a means of protection for the
computer, but is only used to determine if there is any virus on it.
last. They are also passive because they do not have a permanent operation.

Offline antivirus: it is that program that is installed on the computer for the
protection of this, threat detection and application removal
malicious.
MOST USED ANTIVIRUS IN VENEZUELA

There are multiple brands of antivirus for computers, below

We mention the 15 best antivirus used in Venezuela:

Kaspersky
ESET
Norton
AVG
PC Tools
BitDefender
Avast
McAfee
Panda
Webroot
Trend Micro
BullGuard
Avira
Sophos
Fortinet