The 20 most deadly computer viruses of all time
1. The ILOVEYOU Virus
The ILOVEYOU virus is considered one of the most destructive viruses of all time, responsible for causing billions of dollars in damage. The virus, which surfaced in 2000, infected over 50 million computers in just a few days. The ILOVEYOU virus spread via email, with the subject line “I Love You” and attachment “LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT.vbs”. Once opened, the attachment would send itself to everyone in the victim’s address book and display a message that read “ILOVEYOU – I Love You”.
2. The Melissa Virus
Named after a topless dancer in Florida, the Melissa virus was created in 1999 and spread via email. The email, which had the subject line “Important Message From [name]”, contained an infected Word document attachment. Once opened, the virus would replicate itself and send itself to the first 50 people in the victim’s address book. The Melissa virus caused over $80 million in damage and resulted in the arrest of its creator, David L. Smith.
3. The SQL Slammer Virus
The SQL Slammer virus was a highly destructive worm that exploited a vulnerability in Microsoft’s SQL Server 2000 software. The virus, which surfaced in early 2003, propagated rapidly and caused widespread disruption, shutting down ATM machines, airline reservation systems and other critical infrastructure. The virus caused an estimated $1 billion in damage and was responsible for the largest denial of service attack in history.
4. The Code Red Virus
The Code Red virus was a worm that exploited a buffer overflow vulnerability in Microsoft’s IIS web server software. The virus, which surfaced in 2001, infected over 359,000 systems in just 14 hours. The Code Red virus was notable for its ability to spread rapidly and for its use of random IP addresses, making it difficult to block. The virus caused an estimated $2 billion in damage and was responsible for the largest denial of service attack in history.
5. The MyDoom Virus
The MyDoom virus is considered the fastest spreading email worm of all time. The virus, which surfaced in early 2004, spread rapidly, infecting over 1 million systems in just 24 hours. The MyDoom virus was notable for its ability to propagated via email, networks and peer-to-peer file sharing networks. The virus caused an estimated $38 billion in damage and was responsible for the largest denial of service attack in history.
6. The Storm Worm
The Storm Worm is a computer worm that surfaced in early 2007. The worm spread rapidly, infecting over 12 million systems in just a few weeks. The Storm Worm was notable for its use of social engineering to trick users into opening infected email attachments. The worm caused an estimated $5.5 billion in damage and was responsible for the largest denial of service attack in history.
7. The Sasser Worm
The Sasser worm is a computer worm that exploits a vulnerability in the Microsoft Windows Operative System. The worm, which surfaced in 2004, infected over 1 million systems in just a few days. The Sasser worm was notable for its ability to spread rapidly and for its destructive payload, which could delete critical system files and render a system inoperable. The worm caused an estimated $30 million in damage.
8. The SoBig Virus
The SoBig virus is a computer virus that spread via email attachments. The virus, which surfaced in 2003, infected over 500,000 systems in just a few days. The SoBig virus was notable for its ability to spread rapidly and for its destructive payload, which could delete critical system files and render a system inoperable. The virus caused an estimated $37 million in damage.
9. The Blaster Worm
The Blaster worm is a computer worm that exploits a vulnerability in the Microsoft Windows Operative System. The worm, which surfaced in 2003, infected over 1 million systems in just a few days. The Blaster worm was notable for its use of a backdoor Trojan, which allowed it to gain control of infected systems. The worm caused an estimated $10 billion in damage.
10. The Conficker Worm
The Conficker worm is a computer worm that exploits a vulnerability in the Microsoft Windows Operative System. The worm, which surfaced in 2008, infected over 12 million systems in just a few weeks. The Conficker worm was notable for its use of domain name generation, which made it difficult to track and block. The worm caused an estimated $9.1 billion in damage.
11. The Love Bug Virus
The Love Bug virus is a computer virus that spread via email attachments. The virus, which surfaced in 2000, infected over 50 million systems in just a few days. The Love Bug virus was notable for its destructive payload, which could delete critical system files and render a system inoperable. The virus caused an estimated $10 billion in damage.
12. The Anna Kournikova Virus
The Anna Kournikova virus is a computer virus that spread via email attachments. The virus, which surfaced in 2001, infected over 10 million systems in just a few days. The Anna Kournikova virus was notable for its use of social engineering to trick users into opening infected email attachments. The virus caused an estimated $8.7 million in damage.
13. The Klez Virus
The Klez virus is a computer virus that spread via email attachments. The virus, which surfaced in 2002, infected over 10 million systems in just a few days. The Klez virus was notable for its ability to spread rapidly and for its destructive payload, which could delete critical system files and render a system inoperable. The virus caused an estimated $19 million in damage.
14. The Nimda Virus
The Nimda virus is a computer virus that spread via email attachments and networks. The virus, which surfaced in 2001, infected over 11 million systems in just a few days. The Nimda virus was notable for its ability to spread rapidly and for its use of multiple spreading mechanisms. The virus caused an estimated $870 million in damage.
15. The Badtrans Virus
The Badtrans virus is a computer virus that spread via email attachments. The virus, which surfaced in 2002, infected over 10 million systems in just a few days. The Badtrans virus was notable for its ability to spread rapidly and for its use of social engineering to trick users into opening infected email attachments. The virus caused an estimated $16 million in damage.
16. The LonVirus
The LonVirus is a computer virus that spread via email attachments. The virus, which surfaced in 2003, infected over 10 million systems in just a few days. The LonVirus was notable for its ability to spread rapidly and for its use of social engineering to trick users into opening infected email attachments. The virus caused an estimated $7 billion in damage.
17. The Sober Virus
The Sober virus is a computer virus that spread via email attachments. The virus, which surfaced in 2004, infected over 10 million systems in just a few days. The Sober virus was notable for its ability to spread rapidly and for its use of social engineering to trick users into opening infected email attachments. The virus caused an estimated $10 billion in damage.
18. The Bagle Virus
The Bagle virus is a computer virus that spread via email attachments. The virus, which surfaced in 2004, infected over 10 million systems in just a few days. The Bagle virus was notable for its ability to spread rapidly and for its use of social engineering to trick users into opening infected email attachments. The virus caused an estimated $10 billion in damage.
19. The Yaha Virus
The Yaha virus is a computer virus that spread via email attachments. The virus, which surfaced in 2003, infected over 10 million systems in just a few days. The Yaha virus was notable for its ability to spread rapidly and for its destructive payload, which could delete critical system files and render a system inoperable. The virus caused an estimated $8 million in damage.
20. The Zafi Virus
The Zafi virus is a computer virus that spread via email attachments. The virus, which surfaced in 2004, infected over 10 million systems in just a few days. The Zafi virus was notable for its ability to spread rapidly and for its use of social engineering to trick users into opening infected email attachments. The virus caused an estimated $13 million in damage..Original Article
The 5 most common antivirus programs and which is best for you
There are a lot of antivirus programs out there and it can be hard to know which one is best for you. Here are the five most common antivirus programs and which one might be best for you.
1. Norton Antivirus
Norton Antivirus is a popular antivirus program that is known for being very effective at protecting your computer from viruses. It is also easy to use and has a lot of features that make it a good choice for people who are not very tech-savvy.
2. McAfee Antivirus
McAfee Antivirus is another popular antivirus program that is known for being very effective at protecting your computer from viruses. It is also easy to use and has a lot of features that make it a good choice for people who are not very tech-savvy.
3. AVG Antivirus
AVG Antivirus is a less well-known antivirus program but it is still a good choice for protecting your computer from viruses. It is not as easy to use as some of the other antivirus programs but it does have a lot of features that make it a good choice for people who are not very tech-savvy.
4. Avast Antivirus
Avast Antivirus is another less well-known antivirus program but it is still a good choice for protecting your computer from viruses. It is not as easy to use as some of the other antivirus programs but it does have a lot of features that make it a good choice for people who are not very tech-savvy.
5. Kaspersky Antivirus
Kaspersky Antivirus is a well-known antivirus program that is known for being very effective at protecting your computer from viruses. It is also easy to use and has a lot of features that make it a good choice for people who are not very tech-savvy.
So, which of these antivirus programs is best for you? It really depends on your individual needs and preferences. If you want an antivirus program that is very effective at protecting your computer from viruses and is also easy to use, then any of the programs on this list would be a good choice for you.
Visit malwarezero.org to learn more about most deadly computer virus. Disclaimer: We used this website as a reference for this blog post.