Ace the 2025 OCR GCSE Computer Science Challenge – Code Your Way to Success!

The primary purpose of a virus in computing is to replicate and infect other programs or files. A computer virus is a type of malicious software (malware) that attaches itself to legitimate programs or files and then spreads to other systems when the infected software is executed or transmitted. This self-replicating behavior allows the virus to proliferate, often causing damage to data, disrupting system performance, and compromising the security of the affected devices.

While other options mention functions that relate to computing, they do not accurately represent the purpose of a virus. For instance, managing files is a legitimate function of file management software, while system security is the role of antivirus programs and firewalls, not viruses themselves. Similarly, optimizing network speed typically falls under networking tools and analysis, which is entirely unrelated to the destructive and replicative nature of a virus.