What is the most dangerous computer virus and why?
There are a number of contenders for the title of most dangerous computer virus, and it is hard to make a definitive judgement. However, some viruses are more dangerous than others, and the WannaCry virus is certainly one of the most dangerous.
WannaCry is a ransomware virus that encrypts files on infected computers, making them inaccessible to the user. The only way to regain access to the files is to pay a ransom, and even then there is no guarantee that the files will be decrypted. What makes WannaCry particularly dangerous is that it exploits a vulnerability in the Windows operating system, meaning that it can affect any computer that is running Windows. This makes it a very widespread and destructive virus.
Another contender for the title of most dangerous computer virus is the SoBig virus. SoBig is a mass-mailing virus that spreads itself by sending emails to addresses that it finds on infected computers. These emails contain attachments that, if opened, will infect the computer with the SoBig virus. SoBig is particularly dangerous because it can quickly fill up a computer’s hard drive with its emails, causing the computer to crash. It can also slow down networks as it spreads, bringing them to a standstill.
These are just two of the most dangerous computer viruses that have been released in recent years. However, there are many other viruses that can cause just as much damage, if not more. It is important to be aware of the dangers of viruses and to take steps to protect your computer, such as installing antivirus software and keeping it up-to-date.
What is the most widespread computer virus?
Technically speaking, a computer virus is a code which has potential to copy itself and corrupt system. Computer viruses are written with an intention to damage the system, delete the important files or even steal personal information stored on the system. Some of the most widespread computer viruses of past and present include the following:
1981 – Elk Cloner
Elk Cloner was the first ever virus to spread in the wild. It was written by 15-year-old Rich Skrenta as a prank. It used to spread through Apple II floppy disks and displayed a short poem on the screen after an infected disk was inserted into the system.
1988 – Morris Worm
Written by Robert Tappan Morris, a graduate student at Cornell University, the Morris Worm was a self-replicating computer program which caused DoS (denial of service) attack on the DEC VAX systems of that time. This was the first internet worm as it spread through the internet.
1998 – Melissa
Named after a stripper, Melissa was a macro virus which infected Microsoft Word documents. It was created by David L. Smith and caused damage worth $80 million.
1999 – CIH (Chernobyl Virus)
Also known as Spacefiller, CIH was a virus which targeted Windows 95 and 98 systems. It was written by a Taiwanese student named Chen Ing Hau and caused damage of $1.62 billion.
2000 – Code Red
A worm which caused DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks, Code Red was discovered on July 13, 2001. It caused damage of $2.6 million and infected more than 359,000 systems within nine days of its release.
2001 – Nimda
Nimda was a virus which spread through e-mail attachments, open network shares and by infecting Microsoft IIS Web servers. It caused damage of $571 million and was active for just five hours after its release.
2003 – Lovgate
Lovgate was a virus which targeted Windows systems. It was a worm and a Trojan horse and used to spread through e-mail attachments. It caused damage of $12.5 million.
2006 – Storm Worm
Discovered on January 17, 2007, the Storm Worm is a computer worm which propagates through e-mail attachments, instant messaging applications and network shares. It is also known as Peacomm and caused damage of $10 million.
2007 – Advertisement click fraud
A type of malicious code, advertisement click fraud is used to generate fake clicks on online advertisements with an intention to generate revenue for the cyber criminals. It caused damage of $1 billion in 2007.
2008 – Conficker
Conficker is a computer worm which targets Windows systems. It spreads through network shares and by exploiting the MS08-067 vulnerability in Windows. It caused damage of $9.1 million in 2008 and is still active.
2013 – Cryptolocker
Cryptolocker is a ransomware which targets Windows systems. It encrypts the files on the system and demands a ransom in order to decrypt them. It caused damage of $27 million in 2013.
As evident from the above, computer viruses have caused damage worth billions of dollars over the years. While some of them like Elk Cloner were written as pranks, others like Cryptolocker are written with malicious intent.
Visit malwarezero.org to learn more about most dangerous computer virus. Disclaimer: We used this website as a reference for this blog post.