Payload

A payload does not require overhead data to send it to a destination. Its true definition depends on what it is intended to do. For instance, when a communications layer requires overhead data to function, the payload may be referred to as a section of overhead data handled by the layer. Most common usage defines a payload as content that is sent to particular destination and accessed by the end user. A payload is also known to be an infectious task a computer virus instructs it to perform. There are a few viruses that cause no more harm than replicating themselves into a user’s operating system – similar to how a physical virus goes from one human host to another. This example speaks of a rather mild-mannered payload. Many viruses have a greater impact and pose more of a threat to the user. They have the ability to steal files, seize control of another computer, or delete every last bit of data on the machine.