If you are a computer user, you might have noticed that it is almost impossible for any computer user to shield their computer from virus attack. While there is some benign form of viruses that could be blocked by every Antivirus that it available in the market, more new forms are coming which could circumvent the security layers of your device. As a result, Antivirus producing companies are putting in more effort and money to fill the voids in their protection systems. However, despite their best efforts, new viruses continue to appear and wreak havoc.
Thus, sticking to the last point, we are here to highlight what we think are the most potent viruses in the Computer age. These viruses have disrupted human lives in numerous ways and the financial damage that they have caused is inexplicable. Having malware protection is crucial to be able to defend against these viruses as best you can. The scope of this article is to familiarize with the most destructive computer viruse ever discovered. If you are looking to protection,MySpyBot blog provides useful info on how to tackle these viruses.
Here are the 10 Most Destructive Computer Virus ever known to the Mankind …
ILOVEYOU
Don’t be thrown off by its name.The ILOVEYOU virus has been dubbed by many as the most potent virus. The brainchild of two Filipino Programmers, this virus disturbed every sphere of human life, ranging from households to Multi National Corporations. In fact, the damage caused by this malware was so huge that many Governmental Institutions ordered their employees to shut down their computers in the hope of bypassing this virus.
Looking at the monetizing terms, one estimate puts the damage at around $10 billion. Although the hackers were later identified, they were never charged because there were no International laws at that time about the Virus.
Flashback
Before the inception of this virus in 2011, Mac users were of the view that their operating system was immune to any virus attacks. The route of entry which was used by Flashback was via Javascript. This virus wasn’t potent because of its ability to transfer to other computers.
The impact caused by Flashback was so troublesome that even the headquarters of Apple weren’t left unfazed. Thus, while Apple released an update to remove these viruses from Mac devices, 22,000 Macs still felt the effect of Flashback in 2014.
CryptoLocker
Being a Ransomware that encrypts the files on the computer which it attacks, CryptoLocker added a new dimension to this ever evolving field of viruses. This virus was more direct in its approach as it asked the victims to pay in order to get back their important files. Payments were often in the form of cash, however, bitcoin was also used in some instances.
Code Red
Discovered by the employees of eEye Digital Security Employees, this virus was named code red because the employers were drinking code red Mountain dew at that time. One thing that epitomized the damage caused by this virus was its ability to consume only a small portion of space.
While a patch was released to counter Code red in 2002, it had caused a damage of $2 Billion.
Stuxnet
While most of the aforementioned viruses are formed by nonstate actors, this virus is unique as it was created via a joint venture between American Government and Israeli Defense force. Thus, as suggested by the names of its manufacturers, this virus was used mostly for cyber warfare between the Israelis and the Iranian counterparts. This virus was a huge success for Israel, as it ruined 1/5th of the Nuclear Centrifuges of Iran.
Melissa
Named after a dancer from Florida, this virus spread in the form of Emails that lured computer users by claiming that there were passwords of pornographic websites in the attachment. After the users clicked on the attachment, not only their computers were infected but the same email was sent to their contact list. As a result, the damage which was caused by this virus was universal.
Conficker
This malware took advantage of the flaws in the Operating System of the Windows in 2008. It created a botnet. According to an estimate, more than 9-Million Computers from around the World were infected by this virus.
Sasser
Taking full advantage of the buffer flow vulnerability in our computers – a technique which caused crashes to the computer, Sasser first appeared on the World stage in 2001. One of the most damaging aspects of this malware is its ability to transfer through other computers using the Internet.
While the damage caused by Sasser was extreme – i.e. $18-Billion, its manufacturers received a slap on the wrist as he was sentenced to only 21-months in prison.
Zeus
While Zeus is primarily a virus, you would be honest to consider it as a key surveillance tool. After hijacking the computer and encrypting important files, Zeus started from grabbing and browser key logging. The damage caused by Zeus received more headlines because it affected Companies like Amazon, Bank of America, Cisco and Oracle.
My Doom
Being the fastest spreading email virus since the inception of ILOVEYOU, My Doom caused damages in the region of $38.1 Billion. It was first discovered by a McAfee employee who also named the virus as My Doom.
Article Submitted By Community Writer