A Boot Sector Virus infects the master boot record (MBR) of the system. When a system boots, it first loads the MBR into memory. A Boot Sector Virus takes advantage of this by moving the original MBR to a different location on the hard disk and writing itself to the original MBR location. This ensures that it is executed first during system startup.
As per CEH v13 course material:
“A boot sector virus infects the master boot record of a hard disk. It moves the original boot sector to a different location on the hard disk and replaces it with its own malicious code. When the computer is booted, the virus loads first and then hands control to the original boot sector code.”
Reference – CEH v13 Study Guide:
Module 06: Malware Threats, Section: “Types of Malware”, Subsection: “Boot Sector Viruses”
Incorrect Options Explained:
A: Describes directory virus behavior, not boot sector.
B: The virus moves MBR on the hard disk, not RAM.
D: Some viruses overwrite MBR, but most preserve the original and move it to another disk location to maintain system operability.
