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This article is from the Mini-FAQ: alt.comp.virus FAQ, by George Wenzel gwenzel@telusplanet.net with numerous contributions by others.

5) There are no viruses which damage hardware by modifying how the mechanical parts run or their electro-magnetic characteristics...

There *are* reported instances of specific hardware being damaged by the
misuse of specific software. No known viruses damage hardware,
and despite many suggestions to the contrary, it is unlikely that
one will ever exist.

That said, there is a virus (CIH) which corrupts a system BIOS, which
is not hardware damage, but is as difficult to fix. With a corrupt BIOS,
it is not possible for the system to start; the BIOS chip would need to
be returned to the factory to get re-programmed. Hardware write
protection of the BIOS should be used whenever possible, as should current
anti-virus software.

 

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• prev: 4) Before claiming that a "good" virus exists or could exist,...
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security, computer viruses