ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Unintended instructions

Okay, kiddo, let me explain what unintended instructions are.

Imagine you have a toy car that you can control with a remote. The remote control has different buttons that make the car go forward, backward, turn left or right, and stop. Now, let's say you accidentally press the wrong button that you didn't mean to press. Instead of making the car move forward, you make it turn left. This is an unintended instruction – something you didn't mean to happen, but it did anyway.

In the world of computers and technology, unintended instructions can also happen. When you use a computer, you can give it instructions to do different things, like saving a document or watching a video. But sometimes, because of mistakes or problems with the software, the computer can get mixed up and do something you didn't intend. For example, you might click on a harmless-looking link online, but it turns out to be a virus that starts infecting your computer and causing all kinds of problems. This is an unintended instruction – something that you didn't mean to do, but your computer did it anyway.

It's important to be careful when using technology so that you don't accidentally give your computer unintended instructions. Always be careful what you click on and make sure you have good virus protection software installed. And if something does go wrong, don't worry – there are people who can help you fix the problem and get your computer working again!