The 10 Most Dangerous Computer Viruses of All Time

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Viruses are hard to avoid. They can find their way onto any device like desktops, laptops, and even smartphones. While some simply slow down the computers others can be completely disastrous causing data loss and identity theft. To avoid them, many businesses are now investing in malware protection. For example, Cox bundles and internet sends emails to customers if they detect malicious software in any of the computers.

Common Types of Viruses

Let us look at the most dangerous computer viruses of all time.

Mydoom

One of the deadliest viruses so far, Mydoom cost nearly USD 38 billion worth of damage in 2004. When this virus attacks a device, it steals all the email addresses and sends out copies of the virus to all those addresses. This virus still exists and is responsible for almost 1% of all phishing emails. It can send more than 1 billion copies of itself every year. Devices that do not have good antivirus protection are still susceptible to it.

ILOVEYOU

Developed by two Filipinos, this virus created chaos by infecting around 10% of computers all over the globe. The situation was so difficult to control that governments and other large institutions had to take their email systems offline to protect themselves from it. It worked by sending itself to everyone in the user’s email list and corrupting all files making the device impossible to restart.

CryptoLocker

Released in September 2013, this virus spreads through email attachments. It encrypts the user’s files making it impossible to access them. The victims have to pay some amount through cryptocurrency to get them back. After the payment, they receive a private code to decode the documents. The FBI offered a reward of around USD 3 million in 2014 to anyone who captured the notorious developer, Bogachev.

WannaCry

This popular virus spread through 150 countries infecting more than 200,000 devices until now. It has cost around USD 4 billion in damages. It works by taking control of all the documents on the device and holding them hostage until the user pays the demanded ransom. Gratefully, a young security researcher was able to stop the spread.

Flashback

Even though this malware is not as damaging as some others are, it has the capacity to infect even Apple software. The antivirus company, Intego first discovered it in 2011. All those devices that have Javascript are prone to it. It transmits when users visit unprotected websites containing Java code that downloads the payload on the device.

Zeus

First identified in 2011, Zeus is a sort of malicious software that targets Microsoft Windows. The spread is caused by downloads and spam messages. The reason behind its inception was to access sensitive data like bank account details and credit card information.

Zeus is strong enough to dodge centralized servers and develop new ones to send and receive critical data. In most cases, the victim cannot even track the stolen information. Another way this virus operates is by encrypting important documents and demanding money to unlock them.

Sasser

This virus targets devices with unprotected and outdated versions of Windows 2000 and Windows XP. Developed by a German student, Jaschan, Sasser has caused a lot of damage all over the world. It led the University of Missouri to disconnect from the internet and Delta Airlines to cancel multiple flights. Moreover, only after a few days of its release in 2004, newer variants of the virus popped up.

Stuxnet

The American government and the Israeli Defense force together developed this virus for cyberwarfare. The main objective behind it was to intrude into the nuclear efforts of Iran. With its help, they managed to harm almost one-fifth of their nuclear plants. Approximately 60% of Stuxnet infections were limited to only this country.

Melissa

David Smith named Melissa virus in 1999. It appears in the form of a Word file which when opened transfers to nearly 50 email contacts of the victim. The corrupted file depicts content that is relevant to the users, compelling them to click on it. Microsoft is one of the top names that were affected by Melissa.

Code Red

First discovered in 2001 by two digital security employees, Code Red is a worm that targets devices with a Microsoft IIS server. The name was given to it because they were drinking code red mountain dew at the time.

The virus causes a buffer overflow issue in the device and leaves almost no trace on the hard disk as it can run totally on memory. Once a device is infected, the virus makes multiple copies of itself that end up eating all the system’s resources.

Tips to Protect Against Malware

All devices are vulnerable to viruses, which can cause a lot of damage. Here are a few useful tips to prevent a hacker or virus from penetrating computers.