True or False: A computer virus can hide itself on a floppy disk (diskette) but not on a hard disk drive.

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: False

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This item tests conceptual understanding of what a computer virus is and where it can reside. Early viruses spread via diskettes, but storage medium restrictions are a misconception; viruses are software that can exist on many writable media and within files or boot sectors.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Claim: Virus can hide in a diskette but not on a hard disk.
  • Context: General PC malware behavior, independent of specific OS versions.


Concept / Approach:
A virus is malicious code that attaches to hosts (executables, documents with macros, boot records). Its persistence depends on write access and execution, not on whether the medium is a diskette or a hard disk. If code can be written and executed or loaded during boot, a virus can persist there.


Step-by-Step Solution:

Step 1: Identify the nature of a virus → software code that replicates by infecting host files or boot sectors.Step 2: Check media properties → both diskettes and hard disks provide writable storage and boot sectors (MBR/partition boot record) in legacy systems.Step 3: Conclude → if a diskette can harbor a virus, so can a hard disk; the statement is false.


Verification / Alternative check:
Historical evidence: boot-sector viruses (e.g., Michelangelo era) infected hard disks and diskettes alike by modifying boot records or executable files loaded by the OS.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:

  • True: Incorrect because hard disks are just as susceptible as diskettes when malware gains write/execute paths.


Common Pitfalls:

  • Confusing infection vectors (e.g., removable media) with limitations on residency.
  • Assuming modern protections (e.g., secure boot) apply retroactively to all contexts.


Final Answer:
False

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