This virus was founded in 1999 and the estimated damage, cost of this virus is 300 to 600 million dollars. 15 minutes in and Slammer had infected half of the servers that essentially ran the internet. This worm was unique in that it had a timer of sorts. MyDoom was spreading rapidly at the time and Jaschan, a newbie coder, wanted to see what would happen if his bug could spread faster than MyDoom. Now is a good time to remind you to always back your files up! Affected computer networks and systems, causing shutdowns and a range of damage estimated at over $1 billion. Computer viruses can be vicious little blighters wreaking all sorts of damage and destruction; destroying files, corrupting hard drives, plundering personal details and slowing the Internet to a crawl. This trojan horse infects your computer and encrypts files. Perhaps the most common type of computer viruses, macro viruses attach themselves to files made in programs that support macros, sequences of commands that can be executed with a simple keystroke. Storm Worm was a Trojan horse that infected computers, sometimes turning them into zombies or bots to continue the spread of the virus and to send a huge amount of spam mail. The worm acts on a similar principle as ILOVEYOU: an email---with misleading subjects like "Mail Delivery System"---includes an attachment which, once opened, sends itself to addresses found in local files. Ten of the most prolific viruses of all time The following are some of the viruses that resulted in widespread computer infections. -, Norton AntiTrack 9. The Morris Worm was the first malicious program covered by mainstream media due to its mass repercussions. I'm outta here." You may have had a little infection or you may have been one of the millions who's computer became infected by one of the 'major' viruses of our time. Jerusalem, which is also known as BlackBox, is believed to be one of the first worms ever detected back in 1987 (it preceded the Morris Internet worm by about a year and is a variant of the Suriv virus). Caused some e-mail providers to shut down e-mail services until the virus was contained. ILOVEYOU is one of the most well-known and destructive viruses of all time. When users downloaded the attachment called WIN-BUGSFIX.EXE, the virus would copy and embed itself in key files; including registry keys. The 18 . MyDoom was first spotted in January 2004, but deviations have resurfaced across many years since. Follow us for all the latest news, tips and updates. Its easier than you think to fall victim to a computer virus. Code Red was followed by Code Red II -a similar computer worm released on 4 th August 2001. Learn how to spot fake emails and don't download anything unless you're absolutely sure what it is and who sent it! With some of the hacking attempts, System Restore or recovery software worked. The speed of replication gave the virus its name. MyDoom is considered to be the most damaging virus ever releasedand with a name like MyDoom would you expect anything less? List of Computer Viruses and Worms These viruses and worms are always part of the news, damaging systems and causing malfunctioning in networks are one of the many problems that a virus or worm causes in a PC or a laptop. Microsoft and the Window logo are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Viruses can infect both. Brain was a boot sector virus. (We hope!) In fact, it was such a myth that malware could get away with being completely unsubtle. Timeline of Computer Viruses by Sean Spencer, Software Development Expert and Author. Most believe the worm gets its name from the fact that one of the e-mail messages carrying the virus had "230 dead as storm batters Europe" as its subject. 1. Anna was pretty harmless and didnt do much actual damage, though De Wit turned himself into police anyway. Summer 2011: The Morto worm attempts to propagate itself to additional computers via the Microsoft Windows, September 20: NGRBot is a worm that uses the IRC network for file transfer, sending and receiving commands between zombie network machines and the attacker's IRC server, and monitoring and controlling network connectivity and intercept. Viruses are unfortunately a risk that all computer users face. This took a similar approach to the Melissa virus, yet was far more devastating. This cost an estimated $80 million in damages to private, and corporate networks. The mayor of the town came forward and said the city should be proud to have produced such a talented young man and offered him a job as a techie once he was finished his education. ", "Creators of the Benevolent Linux.Wifatch Malware Reveal Themselves", "Watch This Malware Turn a Computer into a Digital Hellscape", "MEMZ virus: what is it and how it affects Windows PC? Computer viruses can be vicious little blighters wreaking all sorts of damage and destruction; destroying files, corrupting hard drives, plundering personal details and slowing the Internet to a crawl. This comes from Bart the Genius, in which Bart cheats at Scrabble with Kwyjibo, meaning "a big, dumb, balding North American ape, with no chin and a short temper". It also opened a backdoor to the computer's operating system, allowing a hacker access to the computer. The thought that a computer virus can affect human sounds absurd, isn't it? 1949- Although no viruses or worms were developed, theories of self-replicating programs that spawn viruses or worms are developed.. 1966- John von Neumann wrote an article called the "Theory of Self-Reproducing Automata" that was published. Some corrupt or delete a computer files while others are designed to replicate until they use your RAM; rendering your computer unable to operate. Karolis Bareckas. Netsky spread via e-mail and Windows networks, creating large amounts of Internet traffic and causing Denial of Service (DoS) attacks. But why? Computer Viruses Quotes. Here are some of the best known computer viruses of the last ten year. If you got an email today like the one that was sent around in 2000, youd never open it. Viruses come in many forms and are created with different intentions. Exploring today's technology for tomorrow's possibilities. Dont click on links or attachments from email addresses that you dont recognize. 20Windows Command Prompt (CMD) Commands You Must Know, 9 Ways to Create the Perfect Setting for an Online Job Interview, Understanding How Hoisting Works in JavaScript, How to Use DefenderUI to Repair the Windows Protection History. Readers like you help support MUO. What Is a Computer Virus? One quirk was in corrupting files with the phrase, "22, plus triple-word-score, plus 50 points for using all my letters. Join our newsletter for tech tips, reviews, free ebooks, and exclusive deals! But the concept of a computer virus set to "detonate" on March 6, 1992 caused a media-fueled mass hysteria, with many afraid to operate their PCs even on anniversaries of the date. MyDoom's point of origin was Russia. The Conficker Worm. 4. Many cases of infection go unreported, and the extent of damage caused can be hard to quantify. The hackers then sent a decryption key in return for a sum of money, usually somewhere from a few hundred pounds up to a couple of grand. Even more interesting is Jaschans motivation. It's been 15 years since ILOVEYOU was let loose on the internet. June 13: ProRat is a Turkish-made Microsoft Windows based backdoor trojan horse, more commonly known as a RAT (Remote Administration Tool). Posted on December 10, 2013 by Chris Calkins. It largely affects files with .exe or .com extensions. 1. What's more, it vacuumed up private information, notably passwords, from the internet. These viruses are most commonly found in Microsoft Word documents and Excel . So, let's look at some of the most notorious viruses in history starting from the year 2000, specifically the notorious ones that caused multi-billion-dollar damages to the industry; 1971, The Creeper Worm Both Macs and PCs Get Viruses It's a myth that only PCs get viruses. ILOVEYOU 3. Good thing calling us is too. 10% of the world's computers were believed to have been infected. Flashback The Flashback virus is famous for being the virus that showed Macs and Apple products were not immune from this growing threat. That means, of all the malware-related cyber attacks, more than half of them are caused by viruses. Help with identity theft starts here. "Ply" DOS 16-bit based complicated polymorphic virus appeared with a built-in permutation engine. Leave websites that redirect you to another website immediately. These included the Pentagon, and the Ford Motor Company. It came with the attachment, "LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.txt.vbs". "I think computer viruses should count as life . ILOVEYOU is considered to be one of the most virulent computer . They are like the biological viruses that infect one individual and go on to multiply and spread to affect various others. August 16: Nuclear RAT (short for Nuclear Remote Administration Tool) is a backdoor. Later blocked from spreading by Microsoft. What can we learn from these security threats? Once opened, it would send itself to everyone in the Outlook address book, making this one of the fastest-spreading viruses at the time. Laroux, the first Excel macro virus appears. Disclosure: Our site may get a share of revenue from the sale of the products featured on this page. 3. Cast your minds back to May 2017 and you'll recall a lot of panic about WannaCry. One estimate places the total cost of the worm at between $250,000 and $96 million. Name is the word "admin" spelled backward. However, if you can look into the advent of technology in the medical field, you would realise it is possible. February 16: Discovery of the first-ever malware for Mac OS X, a low-threat trojan-horse known as OSX/. 7 Deadliest Computer Viruses of All Time. What is the deadliest computer virus in the world? Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Since the dawn of computing for the masses countless viruses have been released. Melissa. Polymorphic works by first decrypting it's code then using a different key to re-encrypt its code. Once on a new machine, it altered the operating system to make it difficult for users to shut down their computer. Mydoom - $38 billion ILOVEYOU was the most widespread and rapidly spreading . Infected Word documents were nothing new. The best way to avoid file infector viruses is to only download official software and deploy an antivirus solution. It was particularly cruel: using a back-door exploitation in Microsoft Windows, it would encrypt all data on the device and hold your files to ransom. March 13: Magistr, also called Disembowler, is discovered. Jerusalem. MyDoom could further stop a device from running updates to security software! 3. If you didn't have back-ups (and comparatively few personal networks did), you would have to kiss goodbye to your JPEGs and audio files. That you'll like and use them for free. It attempted to go under the radar by not targeting addresses of governmental agencies and security firms. Two young Filipino programmers, Reonel Ramones and Onel de Guzman, were named as the perps but because there were no laws against writing malware, their case was dropped and they went free. The Morris Worm Robert Morris, Jr. is the son of a famous American cryptographer and pioneering computer scientist, Robert Morris, Sr. It caused about $55,000,000,000 in damage. 2. By July 2007, Storm Worm was picked up in more than 200 million emails. Norton 360 Advanced 2. Price is subject to change. Why do people create viruses and malware? Whereas previous worms targeted a limited number of contacts, MyDoom wasn't picky. There are even viruses, like Ping-Pong that are created as a joke and do not cause any real damage. Sasser spread through infected computers by scanning random IP addresses and instructing them to download the virus. Its been 15 years since ILOVEYOU was let loose on the internet. There are two distinct types of self-modifying computer viruses: Polymorphic and metamorphic. After some companies became wise to this subject line, hackers introduced variants reading "Mother's Day Order Confirmation", "Joke", and "VIRUS ALERT!!! 1. Anti-Spyware 2011, a Trojan horse that attacks Windows 9x, 2000, XP, Vista, and Windows 7, posing as an anti-spyware program. Jun 30, 2020. Released in September 2013, CryptoLocker spread through email attachments and encrypted the users files so that they couldnt access them. Melissa (1999) -- Melissa was an exotic dancer, and David L. Smith was obsessed with her and also with writing viruses. Ransomware is a kind of malware that takes your files hostage. This type of ransomware infects victims via malicious files promising to offer more information about the disease. Messes Up Encryption", "Titanium: the Platinum group strikes again", A short history of hacks, worms, and cyberterror, 5th Utility Ltd list of the 10 worst computer viruses of all time, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Timeline_of_computer_viruses_and_worms&oldid=1116489313, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Articles needing cleanup from November 2015, Cleanup tagged articles with a reason field from November 2015, Wikipedia pages needing cleanup from November 2015, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from May 2017, Articles with failed verification from May 2017, Articles with failed verification from December 2013, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, The first story written about a computer virus is, November: The term "virus" is re-coined by, December: Ralf Burger presented the Virdem model of programs at a meeting of the underground, Appearance of the Vienna virus, which was subsequently neutralized the first time this had happened on the, Appearance of Lehigh virus (discovered at its, December: Several thousand floppy disks containing the, Mark Washburn, working on an analysis of the Vienna and Cascade viruses with Ralf Burger, develops the first family of. In June 2014, Operation Tovar took down Evgeniy Bogachev, the leader of the gang of hackers behind CryptoLocker. Although with many of the infected computers, if the victims didnt pay up theyd lose all their files. The investigator, . It is like the plot of a Hollywood movie, only the bad guys are definitely winning so far. At the time, Netsky and its variants were believed to be responsible for as many as 25% of all virus infections. These attacks were aimed at various Internet servers, including attacks against search engines, causing several of them to crash and others to return search results much slower than normal. 1. To date, there over one million computer viruses exist, but only a small percentage of them are in mass circulation. How much damage can a virus really cause? 17-year-old Sven Jaschan created Sasser & Netsky, two worms, in the early noughties. It was a worm spread via an email with the subject line "ILOVEYOU". Some of the most notorious viruses from the last decade are still infecting machines despite their well-documented nature, according to the cyber research firm. Jan De Wit, a 20-year-old Dutch man, wrote the virus as a joke. Some viruses, such as WannaCry and Conficker, are still spreading, Sean Sullivan, security adviser at F-Secure told Fifth Domain. News & Analysis. The Bank of Americas ATM service crashed, 911 services went down, and flights had to be cancelled because of online errors. The following are some of the viruses that resulted in widespread computer infections. 'Famous' Computer Viruses. 1. Then you have worms, adware, Trojans, and Rootkits, which are hard to detect and can give attackers control of your machine. The typical text of the message was: 'I'm just doing my job, nothing personal, sorry'. These will keep you safe from some of the most common computer viruses. So in the early to mid-noughties, Anna Kournikova was one of the most searched terms on the internet. No one can prevent all cybercrime or identity theft. In 2004, roughly somewhere between 16-25% of all emails had been infected by MyDoom. Dubbed the "super worm," the Conficker virus showed up in November 2009 and quickly spread from computer to computer via weak passwords, security breaches, and infected . Do old computer viruses still work? On every 50th boot, the virus would cause the computer to display a poem written. Fastest spreading computer virus in history. Overwrite virus. May 6: Rustock.C, a hitherto-rumored spambot-type malware with advanced rootkit capabilities, was announced to have been detected on Microsoft systems and analyzed, having been in the wild and undetected since October 2007 at the very least. Being curious types, people clicked into the email with aplombregardless of the fact the email wasnt from anyone they knew. The MYDoom was the most destructive computer virus in history it came out in 2004. It then sent on other Word files, meaning personal details could've been sent to family, friends, and colleagues. But Concept acted as a forerunner to the Melissa virus. The most concerning part of the virus was its ability to open a back-door vulnerability in systems for hackers to exploit. As we can see below, viruses have advanced a lot since then in the following decades. What Are The Common Types Of Computer Viruses? While most people can rattle off names like Trojan, viruses, and spyware, theyre often not too familiar with ransomware. 4. Elk Cloner Written in 1982 by a high school student, Elk Cloner attacked Apple II computers via floppy disk. CryptoLocker is In Top list of Dangerous viruses because of its type. The worm was 99 lines of code and it had the ability to self-replicate and self-propagate. The virus is also known as Lahore, Pakistani, Pakistani Brain, and Pakistani flu as it was created in Lahore, Pakistan by 19-year-old Pakistani programmer, Basit Farooq Alvi, and his brother, Amjad Farooq Alvi. It naturally took even longer to expunge it from an entire network. 10. There are many different types of destructive and worst viruses in this world. One of the most famous computer case crimes involving a virus was due to the spread of the "Melissa Virus". Three words everyone wants to hear---but not in this form. Were going to get this out of the way first: the Anna Kournikova virus is pretty tame compared to many on the list. ", "Leaked Mirai Malware Boosts IoT Insecurity Threat Level", "Today the web was broken by countless hacked devices", "Blame the Internet of Things for Destroying the Internet Today", "Massive ransomware cyber-attack hits 74 countries around the world", "It's Not Over, WannaCry 2.0 Ransomware Just Arrived With No 'Kill-Switch', "Petya ransomware outbreak: Here's what you need to know", "New malware steals users' money through mobile phones: Report", "Xafecopy Trojan, a new malware detected in India; it disguises itself as an app to steals money via mobile phones", "Kedi RAT can steal your information and send it through gmail", "Beware the Kedi RAT pretending to be a Citrix file that Gmails home", "Thanatos Ransomware Is First to Use Bitcoin Cash. List of the Most Famous and Dangerous Computer Viruses and Worms. However, it wasn't meant to be malicious. What Are The Most Famous Computer Viruses? Game's over. Because MyDoom and variations of it have caused an estimated $38.5 billion in damages worldwide. Code Red initiated Denial of Service attacks against White House web servers, while Code Red II opened a backdoor for hackers to access Windows 2000 systems. June: Starbucks is a virus that infects StarOffice and OpenOffice. Computer Virus Names: 400+ Funny And Famous Computer Virus Names. It spread through infected floppy disk boot sectors, and once installed on a new PC, it would install itself . Klez (2001): This computer virus ended up infecting 7.2% of computers in the world. Robert Tappan Morris had created the program as a way of testing the size of the internet. That's your first line of defence. The Michelangelo virus activated on March 6, 1992 -- Michelangelo was born on March 6, 1475. 2022 Ziff Davis, LLC. Here are the five worst types that you should know. Speculation suggested Jaschan had actually written the viruses to create business for his mother and stepfathers PC business. Easily one of the most famous and prolific variants of computer worms, famous for effectiveness and the fact that it was authored by an 18 year-old German, Sven Jaschan, who . Although Macs are more secure than Windows-powered PCs because of Apple's ecosystem, malware attacks against Macs are increasing quickly. Sasser 9. Its creators have never been found, which seems strange considering its prolificacy. Klez 2. Mydoom Conclusion Frequently Asked Questions Computer threats are a common occurrence in the online world, with over a billion of them circling the web and more being created every day. The worm was created by David L. Smith who named it after a Californian dancer. Once infected, a computer's screen locks, showing a red warning and two countdowns, one until the ransom demand would rise and the other until files would be permanently deleted. Use reputable antivirus software and a popup blocker. 1. MyDoom, like ILOVEYOU, is a record-holder and was the fastest-spreading email-based worm ever. ILOVEYOU. It is difficult to remove and usually requires the entire hard drive of infected computers to be reformatted. MyDoom was an odd one, as it hit tech companies like SCO, Microsoft, and Google with a Distributed Denial of Service attack. A viral virus, by all accounts. Code Red Code Red targeted Microsoft IIS users and even the White House website was hit. Terms apply. The University of California, Berkeley, for instance, estimated that it took 20 working days to completely get rid of the worm from its computers. By Amanda J Hales | Submitted On May 28, 2017. It infected Word documents and sent toward a copy of itself. Once this worm got onto a network, it spread quicker because firewalls often didn't block internal machines from using a port the worm utilized. The malware slowed down thousands of systems by creating files in temporary folders in an effort to replicate itself. However, one of the most notable attacks using the trojan occurred in 2011. . But there's a subtle difference that we explain after the list. While most of the malware on this list strictly hit computers, Slammer was created with broader ambitions. Ransomware works much like that, except your computer is taken hostage by a faceless bad guy. Gameover ZeuS 5. Quite a lot, as it so happens. The SARS virus is a virus that was discovered in 2002 and it is responsible for the spread of a virus that causessevere respiratory illness. If youve never had a virus you might be tempted to write it all off as a load of people panicking over nothing. "We worried for decades about WMDs - Weapons of Mass Destruction. What are the most notable examples of computer viruses? The virus was not originally created to cause loss or damage but it did run havoc in the computer world. These famous PC viruses ably demonstrate that anyone and everyone can fall victim to devastating data loss. ; Cryptolocker - A notorious malware that became popular over the years. 2021 NortonLifeLock Inc. All rights reserved. Shamoon, the destructive computer virus that four years ago crippled tens of thousands of computers at Middle Eastern energy companies, was used two weeks ago to attack computers in Saudi Arabia, according to several U.S. cyber security firms. Here are the top 15 computer viruses in the world that you must know about: 15. Destructive computer virus, Shamoon used in cyber attack on Saudi Arabia two weeks ago. This worm has been known to spread on Microsoft-ds or TCP port 445. So there you have it: while viruses and malware might seem like a myth drummed up by tech companies, they are a very real threat that have caused billions in damage. Cost of the malware: With 500,000 victims, CryptoLocker made upwards of $30 million in 100 days. First seen in May 2000, ILOVEYOU was the first virus to be ever created as a worm. During its peak, it was responsible for nearly 25% of all emails sent. Conficker First discovered in 2008, Conficker, which had many aliases, including Downup, Downadup, and Kido is a worm that targets Windows operating systems. Macro Viruses. Whenever a PC or mobile vulnerability is revealed, there's naturally panic about its effects. By today's standards it's a pretty tame virus, but in 2000 it was the most damaging malware event of all time. Netsky was the more familiar email-based worm. Mydoom infected Microsoft Windows and it first surfaced on 26 January 2004. A Word file was uploaded to the Usenet discussion group, alt.sex in March 1999. Other examples of virus notable for great harm are; PlugX Zeus Gameover ILoveyou Virus Mydoom Stuxnet Slammer Can computer viruses affect humans? The Concept virus was instead spread, accidentally, by professional firms. Stealing your identity can be easy. Good thing calling us is, too. Help with identity theft starts here.. We've created life in our own image.". CodeRed 6. NortonLifeLock, the NortonLifeLock Logo, the Checkmark Logo, Norton, LifeLock, and the LockMan Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of NortonLifeLock Inc. or its affiliates in the United States and other countries. A computer virus that infects a computer's master boot record and often spreads through removable storage devices and media. It would send itself to users' mailing lists and overwrite files, making computers unbootable. He was fined $10,050, and further sentenced to three years on probation, plus 400 hours of community service. Propagated through fake links to videos and news stories. Spreading through e-mail and Web pages, this worm targeted Internet servers, slowing Internet performance nearly to a halt. It was first reported on March 26th 1999. The Morris Worm Let's start with one of the most important examples of malware. Further file types that were overwritten include CSS, HTA, and JSE. It overwrites files when they are opened and can quickly spread across systems and networks. Let's rewind. The Melissa virus was named after a stripper its creator, David L Smith had met in Florida. The First Trojan The Norton brand is part of NortonLifeLock Inc. The idea of digital weaponry is pretty scary, isnt it? On January 19th, 2007, over 200 million e-mails included links to download the Storm Worm, which help play a part in the overall attack. Morris Worm Nimda ILOVEYOU SQL Slammer Stuxnet CryptoLocker Conficker Tinba Welchia Shlayer Protect Yourself From Common Computer Viruses What are the most notable examples of computer viruses? The virus started Denial of Service attacks, then stopped distributing itself 11 days later. This virus was unique in that hackers reproduced in many forms. Used under license. ILOVEYOU The ILOVEYOU virus posed as a love confession. I love you. It typically requires a host program so that the virus can insert its own code, which executes when the infected program is opened. According to InfoCarnivore, the Rabbit (or Wabbit) virus was developed in 1974, did have malicious intent and was able to duplicate itself. He now works for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). As well as targeting tech companies, MyDoom spammed junk mail through infected computers, with the text that said andy; Im just doing my job, nothing personal, sorry.