The most dangerous PC viruses of all time
If you’re looking for a list of the most dangerous PC viruses of all time, you’ve come to the right place. From the first virus created for intentional destruction to the most sophisticated malware ever designed, these are the viruses that have caused the most havoc on computers around the world.
The Morris worm
The Morris worm is widely considered to be the first computer virus created for malicious purposes. It was created by a graduate student at Cornell University in 1988 and was designed to exploit vulnerabilities in UNIX systems. The worm quickly spread across the internet, infecting tens of thousands of computers. While it didn’t cause any direct damage, it did cause significant slowdowns and disruptions, leading to an estimated $100,000 in damage.
The Michelangelo virus
The Michelangelo virus was first detected in 1992 and was named after the famous artist because it was set to activate on March 6th, the artist’s birthday. The virus was designed to overwrite the hard drives of infected computers, making them completely unusable. Thankfully, the virus didn’t cause as much damage as its creator intended, but it still managed to infect an estimated 5 million computers.
The ILOVEYOU virus
The ILOVEYOU virus is a classic example of social engineering. Spread primarily via email, the virus posed as a love letter and promised a beautiful photo of the sender. Once opened, the virus would email itself to everyone in the victim’s address book and then proceed to delete important files on the hard drive. The virus caused an estimated $5.5 billion in damage and is considered one of the most costly viruses of all time.
The Code Red worm
The Code Red worm was first detected in 2001 and quickly spread to over 359,000 computers in just 14 hours. The worm took advantage of a vulnerability in Microsoft’s IIS web server software and, once executed, would display a message on the infected computer’s screen reading “Hacked by Chinese!” The worm also had the ability to launch distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks against any website it wanted. The Code Red worm caused an estimated $2 billion in damage.
The Nimda worm
The Nimda worm was first detected in 2001, just a few weeks after the Code Red worm. Nimda was even more widespread than Code Red, infecting an estimated 6.2 million computers in just 22 minutes. The Nimda worm was designed to take advantage of numerous vulnerabilities, making it one of the most widespread and destructive worms of all time. The Nimda worm caused an estimated $2.6 billion in damage.
The Slammer worm
The Slammer worm was first detected in 2003 and is considered the fastest-spreading worm of all time. It took just 10 minutes for the worm to spread to its peak of approximately 75,000 computers. The Slammer worm took advantage of a buffer overflow vulnerability in Microsoft SQL Server and caused massive slowdowns and disruptions, especially to critical infrastructure such as hospitals and air traffic control. The Slammer worm caused an estimated $1 billion in damage.
The Mydoom worm
The Mydoom worm was first detected in 2004 and quickly became the most widespread email worm of all time. The worm was spread via email attachments and, once opened, would email itself to everyone in the victim’s address book. The Mydoom worm also had the ability to launch DDoS attacks and caused an estimated $38 billion in damage.
The SoBig worm
The SoBig worm was first detected in 2003 and was one of the most destructive email worms of all time. The worm was spread via email attachments and, onceopened, would email itself to everyone in the victim’s address book. The SoBig worm also had the ability to launch DDoS attacks and infected an estimated 1.2 million computers. The SoBig worm caused an estimated $37 billion in damage.
The Conficker worm
The Conficker worm was first detected in 2008 and is considered one of the most sophisticated pieces of malware ever created. The worm took advantage of a vulnerability in the Windows operating system and, once executed, would download and execute additional malicious code. Theworm would then spread to other computers on the network and disable security features, making the infected computers susceptible to further attacks. The Conficker worm infected an estimated 10 million computers and caused an estimated $9 billion in damage.Original Article
The top 20 most dangerous PC viruses
Introduction
Computers have become a part of our daily lives and we rely on them for many things such as work, entertainment, and communication. Unfortunately, as our lives have become more reliant on technology, we have also become more vulnerable to cyberattacks. There are many different types of computer viruses, and they can be used for different purposes such as stealing your personal information, destroying your data, or taking control of your computer. In this article, we will be discussing the 20 most dangerous computer viruses of all time.
1. ILOVEYOU
ILOVEYOU is a virus that spread via email in 2000. It would disguises itself as a love letter and once opened, would overwrite important files on your computer and spread itself to all of your contacts. This virus caused an estimated $5.5 billion in damages and is considered one of the most costly viruses of all time.
2. Melissa
Melissa was a virus that spread via email in 1999. It would replicate itself and send itself out to the first 50 people in your email contact list. The virus would then allow the creator to gain access to the victim’s computer. This virus caused an estimated $80 million in damages.
3. MyDoom
MyDoom is a virus that was released in 2004. It is considered to be the fastest-spreading email virus of all time. The virus would attach itself to email messages and once opened, would install a backdoor on the victim’s computer, allowing the attacker to gain access. This virus caused an estimated $53 million in damages.
4. SoBig
SoBig was a virus that was released in 2003. It would spread via email and once opened, would replicate itself and send itself out to everyone in the victim’s address book. It would also bombard the victim with pop-up ads. This virus caused an estimated $37 million in damages.
5. Klez
Klez was a virus that was released in 2002. It would spread via email and once opened, would replicate itself and send itself out to everyone in the victim’s address book. It would also delete important files on the victim’s computer. This virus caused an estimated $19 million in damages.
6. SQL Slammer
SQL Slammer was a virus that was released in 2003. It exploited a flaw in Microsoft’s SQL Server, allowing the attacker to gain access to the victim’s computer. This virus caused an estimated $1 billion in damages.
7. Code Red
Code Red was a virus that was released in 2001. It exploited a flaw in Microsoft’s IIS web server, allowing the attacker to gain access to the victim’s computer. This virus caused an estimated $2 billion in damages.
8. Nimda
Nimda was a virus that was released in 2001. It would spread via email, network shares, and infected websites. Once it infected a computer, it would replicate itself and spread to other computers. It would also modify websites so that when someone visited the site, they would be infected with the virus. This virus caused an estimated $690 million in damages.
9. Blaster
Blaster was a virus that was released in 2003. It exploited a flaw in Microsoft’s RPC service, allowing the attacker to gain access to the victim’s computer. This virus caused an estimated $320 million in damages.
10. Conficker
Conficker was a virus that was released in 2008. It would spread via network shares and infected websites. Once it infected a computer, it would disable security features and install a backdoor, allowing the attacker to gain access to the victim’s computer. This virus caused an estimated $9 billion in damages.
11. Zeus
Zeus is a virus that was released in 2007. It would infect computers via email attachments or fake websites. Once it infected a computer, it would log keystrokes and steal sensitive information such as passwords and banking information. This virus caused an estimated $100 million in damages.
12. WannaCry
WannaCry is a virus that was released in 2017. It would spread via email attachments or infected websites. Once it infected a computer, it would encrypt important files and demand a ransom for the decryption key. This virus caused an estimated $4 billion in damages.
13. Petya
Petya is a virus that was released in 2016. It would spread via email attachments. Once it infected a computer, it would encrypt the hard drive, making it impossible to boot up the operating system. This virus caused an estimated $1 billion in damages.
14. NotPetya
NotPetya is a virus that was released in 2017. It would spread via email attachments or infected websites. Once it infected a computer, it would encrypt the hard drive, making it impossible to boot up the operating system. This virus caused an estimated $10 billion in damages.
15. Stuxnet
Stuxnet is a virus that was released in 2010. It was specifically designed to attack industrial control systems. It would spread via infected USB drives and once it infected a computer, it would cause the industrial equipment to malfunction. This virus caused an estimated $1 billion in damages.
16. Cryptolocker
Cryptolocker is a virus that was released in 2013. It would spread via email attachments or infected websites. Once it infected a computer, it would encrypt important files and demand a ransom for the decryption key. This virus caused an estimated $27 million in damages.
17. Locky
Locky is a virus that was released in 2016. It would spread via email attachments. Once it infected a computer, it would encrypt important files and demand a ransom for the decryption key. This virus caused an estimated $30 million in damages.
18. SamSam
SamSam is a virus that was released in 2015. It would spread via email attachments or infected websites. Once it infected a computer, it would encrypt important files and demand a ransom for the decryption key. This virus caused an estimated $30 million in damages.
19. Ember
Ember is a virus that was released in 2014. It would spread via email attachments. Once it infected a computer, it would encrypt important files and demand a ransom for the decryption key. This virus caused an estimated $5 million in damages.
20. Milan
Milan is a virus that was released in 2012. It would spread via email attachments or infected websites. Once it infected a computer, it would encrypt important files and demand a ransom for the decryption key. This virus caused an estimated $5 million in damages.
These are the 20 most dangerous computer viruses of all time. These viruses have caused billions of dollars in damages and have affected millions of people. It is important to be aware of these threats and take steps to protect yourself and your computer.
Visit malwarezero.org to learn more about most dangerous pc viruses. Disclaimer: We used this website as a reference for this blog post.
