What is the most dangerous computer virus in the world?
The most dangerous computer virus in the world is the WannaCry virus. This virus infected over 200,000 computers in 150 countries and caused over $4 billion in damages. The WannaCry virus encrypted files on infected computers and demanded a ransom in order to decrypt the files. This virus caused a lot of damage to businesses and organizations around the world.
What are the top 10 most dangerous computer viruses in the world?
There are literally hundreds of different types of computer viruses out there in the wild, each with the potential to cause serious harm to your system. In this article, we’ll countdown the top 10 most dangerous computer viruses in the world, based on the amount of damage they can cause, the number of systems they can affect, and their overall destructive potential.
Coming in at number 10, we have the WannaCry virus. This virus was first discovered in May of 2017 and quickly spread across the globe, infecting more than 230,000 computers in 150 countries. WannaCry encrypts a victim’s files and demands a ransom be paid in order to decrypt and regain access to them. While many victims did pay the ransom, there is no guarantee that they actually received the decryption key. WannaCry caused an estimated $4 billion in damage.
Next up at number 9 is the SoBig virus. SoBig first appeared in 2003 and quickly became one of the most widespread viruses of all time, infecting more than 1 million computers. SoBig creates a hidden file on an infected system and uses that file to send out spam emails containing a copy of the virus. These emails often impersonate legitimate businesses or organizations in an attempt to trick people into opening them. SoBig caused an estimated $37 million in damage.
At number 8 is the MyDoom virus. MyDoom was first discovered in 2004 and is considered to be the fastest-spreading email virus of all time. It infected more than 1 million computers within the first 24 hours of its release. MyDoom would typically arrive in an email masquerading as a error report or other innocuous message. Once opened, the virus would attach itself to the user’s email contacts and send itself out to all of them. MyDoom also caused significant amounts of damage to the websites of its targets, including Microsoft and SCO Group. MyDoom caused an estimated $38 million in damage.
Number 7 on our list is the Storm Worm. The Storm Worm first appeared in 2007 and was notable for its use of social engineering to spread itself. The virus would send out mass emails that appeared to be from legitimate sources, such as news organizations, containing a link to a website that hosted the virus. Once a victim clicked on the link, their computer would become infected. The Storm Worm was also notable for its use of botnets, which are networks of infected computers that can be used to launch distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. The Storm Worm caused an estimated $30 million in damage.
Next up at number 6 is the ILOVEYOU virus. The ILOVEYOU virus first appeared in 2000 and quickly spread around the world, infecting more than 10 million computers. The virus would arrive in an email with the subject line “ILOVEYOU” and the body of the email would contain a message claiming to be from a secret admirer. Attached to the email would be a file named “LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT.vbs” which, when opened, would activate the virus. The ILOVEYOU virus would then copy itself to every file on the infected system and send itself out to every email address in the victim’s address book. ILOVEYOU caused an estimated $5.5 billion in damage.
coming in at number 5 is the Melissa virus. Melissa was first discovered in 1999 and was notable for being one of the first viruses spread via email. The virus would arrive in an email with the subject line “Important Message From [name]” and the body of the email would claim that the attached file contained a list of passwords for various websites. When victims opened the attachment, the virus would infect their system and send itself out to the first 50 people in their email address book. Melissa caused an estimated $80 million in damage.
The fourth most dangerous virus on our list is the Conficker virus. Conficker was first discovered in 2008 and is notable for its ability to spread without any user interaction. The virus would exploit a flaw in Microsoft’s Windows operating system that allowed it to be installed without the user’s knowledge or consent. Once installed, the virus would disable security features on the infected system and open a backdoor that would allow remote access. Conficker would then proceed to scan the network for other systems to infect. It’s estimated that Conficker infected more than 10 million computers and caused an estimated $9 billion in damage.
At number 3, we have the Code Red virus. Code Red was first discovered in 2001 and quickly spread, infecting more than 359,000 systems within the first 24 hours. Code Red would exploit a flaw in Microsoft’s IIS web server software to gain access to a system. Once inside, the virus would place a copy of itself in the Windows system directory and modify the server’s home page to display a message reading “Hacked by Chinese!” Code Red would then proceed to scan for other systems to infect. It’s estimated that Code Red caused an estimated $2 billion in damage.
The second most dangerous virus on our list is the Zeus virus. Zeus was first discovered in 2007 and is a type of malware known as a Trojan horse. Zeus is designed to steal sensitive information, such as banking credentials and login information, by infecting a victim’s computer and then hiding itself until it’s needed. Zeus is typically spread via email or malicious websites that host drive-by downloads. It’s estimated that Zeus has caused an estimated $100 million in damage.
And finally, the most dangerous virus on our list is the Cryptolocker virus. Cryptolocker was first discovered in 2013 and is a type of ransomware. Unlike other viruses that simply delete or damage files, Cryptolocker encrypts a victim’s files and then demands a ransom be paid in order to decrypt them. Cryptolocker is typically spread via email attachments or malicious websites. It’s estimated that Cryptolocker has caused an estimated $3 billion in damage.
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