What is the most dangerous computer virus in the world?
There is no shortage of scary computer viruses. In the wild, there are plenty of dangerous computer viruses poised to cause havoc on your systems and devices. But which one is the most dangerous?
The most dangerous virus is usually the one that is most widespread and easily spread to new victims. TheWannaCry ransomware attack is a good example of this. In May 2017, this virus quickly spread across the globe, holding ransom payloads of up to $300 worth of Bitcoin. It encrypted user data and demanded money to decrypt it. Over 230,000 computers in more than 150 countries were affected.
While not all viruses are created equal, some are definitely more dangerous than others. Here are four of the most dangerous computer viruses in the wild today.
1. WannaCry Ransomware
As mentioned, WannaCry is a ransomware virus that hit hard in May 2017. It quickly spread throughout the world, affecting more than 230,000 computers in just a few days. The virus took advantage of a Windows vulnerability that had been previously exploited by the NSA.
Once a computer was infected, the virus would encrypt user data and demand a ransom payment of up to $300 worth of Bitcoin to decrypt it. WannaCry was particularly dangerous because it could spread quickly and easily to new victims.
2. ILOVEYOU
ILOVEYOU is a virus that first surfaced in 2000. It quickly spread to an estimated 50 million computers and caused an estimated $5.5 billion in damages.
The virus spread through email attachments and, once opened, would send itself to everyone in the victim’s address book. It would also change file extensions to .vbs which, when opened, would launch a harmful payload.
ILOVEYOU was particularly damaging because it targeted personal files like photos and music. It was also difficult to remove, requiring a reformat of the infected computer.
3. Code Red
Code Red was a worm that first surfaced in 2001. It exploited a buffer overflow in Microsoft’s IIS web server software and quickly spread to an estimated 359,000 systems.
Once a system was infected, the worm would launch a denial of service attack against the White House website. Code Red was particularly damaging because it resulted in significant bandwidth consumption and website downtime.
4. Melissa
Melissa was a virus that first hit in 1999. It spread through email attachments and, once opened, would send itself to the first 50 people in the victim’s address book.
The virus would also generate a random word document that, when opened, would launch a macro that would overwrite the victim’s documents with the text “Here is that document you asked for… did I do it right?”.
Melissa was particularly damaging because it quickly filled up victims’ hard drives and caused significant email server slowdowns.
These are just some of the most dangerous viruses in the wild today. While there are plenty of other harmful viruses out there, these four stand out as the most dangerous. So be sure to keep your antivirus software up to date and be careful when opening email attachments.
What is the most destructive computer virus in history?
The most destructive computer virus in history is known as the Love Bug. It was created in the Philippines in May of 2000 and quickly spread around the world, causing an estimated $5.5 billion in damage. The virus was spread via email attachments and infecting computers running Microsoft Windows. The Love Bug would delete files, send emails containing copies of itself to everyone in the victim’s address book, and disable systems. It was eventually traced back to a college student in the Philippines who was later arrested.
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