Mario downloaded some company information into a spreadsheet so that he could work on it at home. When he returned to work, he inserted his memory card into his company computer. Within minutes, all of his hard drive files were corrupted. The most likely cause was a(n) __ A) computer virus B) malfunctioning computer C) bad operating system D) intranet failure
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is A) computer virus.
When Mario inserted his memory card into his company computer and the files on his hard drive were corrupted within minutes, the most likely cause was a computer virus. A virus is a type of malicious software that can spread from one computer to another, often through external devices like memory cards, USB drives, or external hard drives. These viruses can attach themselves to files or programs and cause damage, such as corrupting data or rendering files unusable.
The fact that the files on Mario’s hard drive were specifically corrupted shortly after the memory card was inserted suggests that the virus could have been present on the memory card from his home computer. If his home computer had a virus, the malware could have been transferred to the memory card when he downloaded the company information, and upon connecting the card to his work computer, the virus could have spread, leading to the corruption of the work computer’s files.
A malfunctioning computer or bad operating system is less likely the cause. While a malfunctioning computer could lead to issues with file access, it is not typically the cause of sudden, widespread file corruption, especially when it occurs only after connecting a specific device. Similarly, an intranet failure would not result in corruption of local hard drive files, as intranet failures generally affect network connectivity rather than data stored on a local machine.
To prevent such issues, it is crucial to ensure that all external devices are scanned for viruses before connecting them to other computers, especially in a work environment where data security is critical. It is also important to have up-to-date antivirus software running on all devices.