This type of virus infects programs that can execute and load into memory to perform predefined steps for infecting systems. It infects files with the extensions .EXE, .COM, .BIN, and .SYS. As it…

A stealth virus conceals its presence by intercepting operating system calls to hide file size changes or infected entries, rather than being defined by which file types it targets.

A multipartite virus is a hybrid that infects both the boot sector and executable files simultaneously, not exclusively executable files as described.

A file virus (also called a program or executable virus) attaches itself to executable file types including .EXE, .COM, .BIN, and .SYS. When an infected file is executed, the virus loads into memory, replicates by infecting other executables, and can destroy or corrupt these files to the point where the operating system requires reinstallation.

A polymorphic virus mutates its own code with each replication to evade signature-based detection, which is a propagation characteristic rather than the file-targeting behavior described.

A boot sector virus infects the master boot record or volume boot record of storage media and activates at startup before the OS loads, not by infecting .EXE or .COM files.