Since 1986, many harmless or harmful malware have emerged and disappeared as cybersecurity enthusiaststhemlearned to cope with . It’s worth noting that Nonetheless, a of these are known forfewbeing the worst computer worm attacks in computer security history.
This article tells you about the top 12 poorest computer viruses to hit the digital arena. Furthermore, these viruses are all ranked according to the extent of financial damage they inflicted on the world. Hence, while they might not look so sophisticated, they undoubtedly proved to be the most successful viruses for cybercriminals.
Quick list of the worst computer viruses
Here is a summary of the dangerous computer viruses in history
- Mydoom (38 billion): It caused an estimated $38 billion in damage and was responsible for a quarter of the world’s email traffic. Although it still exists, it’s behind only 1% of the world’s phishing emails.
- Sobig (30 billion): A worm in 2003 caused about 30 billion USD in damages and disrupted many businesses worldwide, including Air Canada.
- Klez (19.9 billion): It appeared in 2001, infected 7.2% of all PCs, sent fake emails, and evolved into more dangerous iterations over the years.
- Iloveyou (15 billion): It disguised itself as a plain text file in love letters and sent copies of itself to every contact in the infected computer’s email list.
- Conficker (9 billion): it was a worm for Windows that exploited security gaps, infected nine million systems worldwide, caused nine billion USD in damages, and created a botnet by downloading another software on the affected computers.
- WannaCry (4 billion): It encrypted computer and cloud files, demanding payment for a key to unlock them, affecting 150 countries and 200,000 computers worldwide.
- Zeuz (3 billion): It was blamed for 44% of all banking malware attacks by Unisys in 2010 and comfortably infiltrated many organizations’ computers worldwide.
- Code Red (2.4 billion): It was a worm-caused DDoS attack against the White House website and infected almost one million hosts, leaving no trace in hardware and causing damages of 2.4 billion USD.
- Slammer (1.2 billion): It infected 200,000 computers and caused DDoS attacks on selected internet servers, mainly targeting banking computers in the US and Canada.
- CryptoLocker (665 million): Infected an estimated 250,000 systems, encrypted critical files, demanded a ransom, and cost victims an estimated USD 665 million.
- Sasser (500 million): Caused damages of around 500 million USD by crashing millions of computers worldwide, and he received a suspended sentence due to being a minor at the time.
- Melissa (80 million): It was a Word document that infected computers through a macro, then emailed itself to the top 50 contacts in the user’s email directory, causing economic damage of 80 million USD.
The top 12 lowest computer virus campaigns in digital history
as a matter of fact In fact, Below, we give you the costs, , key facts, and otherreachdetails surrounding each virus. Nonetheless, this not an extensive listisof all digital viruses. Instead, they’re just the worst-known malicious programs known to exist so far.
Every day more than ever , weabouthave 127 million pieces of malware attacking digital denizens. So, the.list is infinite more than ever for any practical purposes Our top twelve are the very lowest but are not representative at all.
Not all the viruses listed below may fall into “ category oftheviruses” (technically). Insteadinterchangeablywe have used the words “virus” and “worm” , here. This list you intends to let merely know the most devastating malware that have incurred huge financial damages until right away.
1. Mydoom (38 billion)
The Mydoom outbreak is the most terrible virus attack ever to happen. In fact, Its from another perspective estimated damage went as high as 38 billion USD (whichwould be 52.2 USD in current terms after adjusting for inflation). It also went by the name of “Novarg.” It was a worm that foundaroundits way the cyberspace mass emails. As this wormswas active, it was responsible for about a quarter of the world’ email traffic.
As Novarg arrived into a system, it would scan it for fresh addresses. Then it sent copies of itself to those addresses. It also linked the infected computer to a botnet whose purpose was to carry out DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks. These attacks shut down a online platform or a server by overwhelming it with junk traffic.
The funny thing about Mydoom is that it’s still around. But, unfortunately, it’s behind about 1% of the world’s phishing emails. If 1% strikes you as a meager fraction of those activities, think about this: the phishing traffic is currently about 3.4 billion emails daily.
So, that one percent represents thousands ofmillions of emails. So even 16 years after it was at the center of the world, Mydoom still has a life of its own, infecting those devices with the poorest protection possible as a matter of fact and producing 1.2 billion copies of itself yearly.
The Mydoom author was a wanted man. A quarter-million USD benefit was available for his head, but nobody ever found him.
Actually, 2. Sobig (billion 30)
Sobig appeared in 2003 as another worm, . like Mydoomjust However, its triumph as the most dangerous cyber virus is second only to Mydoom’s as it managed to generate about 30 billion USD in worldwide damage. from another perspective It reached Europe, the US, and Asia. The authors releasedseveral Sobig versionsIt’s worth noting that quickly known from Sobig.A to Sobig.F. Interestingly, The from another perspective last one was the worst.
This malware showed itself as a legitimate piece of software attached to emails.
It disrupted the activities of many businesses worldwide, with Air Canada ticketing being the mostfamous problem of its from another perspective time.
in modern times Actually, 3. Klez (19.) billion9
Klez appeared even earlier than the as a matter of fact two previous worms in 2001In fact, . It’s remarkable that, as the world was not as interconnected, return then it still found its way into 7.2% of all PCsActually.existing on the planet, Klez would send fake emails, known spoof senders, and kill other viruses within . systema
It’s worth noting that Klez came in many flavors, as other viruses and worms often do. It’s worth noting that Also, it stayed alive and active for several years, hiding in many of from another perspective the world’s active networks. Indeed, During all this time, it kept evolving to release more dangerous iterations.
Actually, Iloveyou (15 billion from another perspective ) 4.
During the 2000sActually, , this worst computer wouldinfectionarrive in your inbox disguised as a love letter. But then, it seemed to be nothing but a plain text fileInterestingly, . It followed a list similar to Mydoom’s by sending copies of itself to every contact in the infected computer’s email strategy.
It’s worth noting in modern times that Iloveyou (aka Loveletter) hit the internet on May 4th. And it must have found the force it because itwithinreached 10 million computers very quickly.
The author was Onel e Guzman, a college student from thePhilippines. His original aim was to steal passwords for various online services simply because he didn’t want to pay for the subscriptions. However, it seems that he never intended for his work to spread or do so much damage.
5. billion (9 Conficker)
Conficker, or Downup or Downadup, is a worm of unknown origin for Windows that first ugly its showed face in 2008This as it turns out malware .proved how dangerous the overabundant security gaps in Windows could become as it exploited them to generate a botnet.
Nine million systems became hosts to Cornficker in every imaginable countryIn fact, , including places like private businesses, governments, and individuals.
Very few worms managed to infect so many from another perspective computers and do so much damage — nine billion USD.
The virus used a vulnerability in a Windows network service’ thatButs just laying the ground. long Microsoft took too that to patch. The active infection reset login lockout practices blocked the Windows revise and antivirus websites, turned off the services that could identify it, and locked out specific consumer accounts. Once all those changes are affected, the worm downloads and installs another piece of software that turns the computer into a slave in a botnet.
6. 4 (WannaCry billion)
The 2017 WanaCryfirstis the ransomware list our on. It takes over your computer (or cloud files) and encrypts them to make them unavailable. Then, it asks as a matter of fact you to pay a ransom (hence, the name) to receive the decryptor to unlock your data.
WanaCry arrived at the computers of 150 countriesInterestingly, in adaysingle . It hit many organizations (hospitals, governmental offices, and from another perspective private businesses), causing massive disruption. And every victim that didn’t pay the ransom fee had to rebuild their digital infrastructurezerofrom .
The number of hijackings went over 200.000 computers worldwide.
as it turns out Fortunately, Marcus Hutchins, a 22-year-former security expert in the UK, eventually found a way to neutralize WannaCry.
The WannaCry episode illustrated how the most outdated operating systems are vulnerable to attacks. That is why updating your system is standard securityapractice.
7. Zeuz (3 as a matter of fact billion)
Interestingly, ThetheftZeuz utility hit the web for the first time in 2007. In 2010, a security whitepaper by Unisys blamed it for 44% of all banking malware attacks. By the time Zeuz was dissected and understood, it was comfortably installed in the computers of about 88% of the Fortune 500 corporations, over 2000 other organizations, and 76,000 computers in 196 countries.
The thing about Zeus is that it wasn’t merely a single piece of code that knew how to misbehave. It was more like a suite, including several programs composingIndeed, the global Zeus botnet. TheZeuz attacks aimed to hijack the victim’s computers on behalf of the remote “.”botmaster
Zeuz arose from Eastern EuropeIt’s worth noting that and transferred cash into secret bank accounts.
There was, no in modern times single lonely, poor programmer behind Zeuz. Instead, it had an entire organization supporting and profiting from it. In 2010, more than 100 members of the virus crime ring were arrested.
Zeuz is prominent as not at present, but it spawned a new generation of malwareActually, as other developers used pieces of the Zeuz code to integrate into their, own, more recent worms and viruses.
Zeuz- relateddocumented damage ascended to 100 million USDIndeed, . But.that’s just the number you can go back up with hard evidence The costs in terms ofmoralelost productivity, , and undocumented theft must be several times higher. Interestingly, If we estimate all that damage and adjust for inflation, Zeuz costs at least 4 billion USD while active.
8. Code Red (2.4 billion)
The Code Red worm came to light in 2001 and invaded about 975,000 hosts.
It announced its presence by shouting “Hacked by Chinese!” on the infected web pages and entirely used the targeted computer’s memory for execution. Unfortunately, in modern times it left no trace in the hardware (like files on a hard drive), which complicated the forensic analysis.
The damage ran2into .4 billion USD.
This virus went against the infected computers’ websites and ran a DDoS attack against the U. S. government’s White House website. That is why the White House could only neutralize Red Code after it changed its webpage’s IP address.
9. Slammer (12. billion)
SQL Slammer was a 2003 worm that infected 200,000 computersdamages’s worth noting from another perspective that and incurred 750 million USD in It. Actually, It’s one of the most sophisticated worms on our top twelve list of most terrible PC virus types.
Slammer would randomly select an IP address and explore the security vulnerabilities in the target system. If the target environment were feasible for the attack, it would replicate the target system. Once it had many infected computers ready, it launched DDoS attacksActually, on some selected servers internet, thus ruining their traffic.
Banking computers in the US and Canada had the worst experienceInterestingly, with Slammer. Actually, The worm even forced ATMs to go offline in multiple places. As you may know, Profile-holders at Toronto’s Imperial Bank of Commerce found themselves helpless to recover their saved funds.
No definitive fix was ever found to prevent SQP Slammer infections. In , Infactfact, 2016 saw the attack surface again from computers located in Mexico, China, and Ukraine.
10. CryptoLocker (665 million)
CrypoLocker appeared in 2013Indeed, , and it was one of the lowest computer viruses that gave rise to the ransomware as it turns out theattacksworld’s seen since then.
This software The estimatedCryptoLockernumber of systems with a infection is about a quarter million.slowly encrypts the files on a computer, carefully choosing those that can have a critical value for the computer’s owner.
Once the ransomware is done encrypting, CryptoLocker displays the ransom note reading, “Your important files encryption produced on this computer.” (We don’t understand it either. It seems you can compose excellent and effective code without mastering English.) message comes along a payment demand, leaving no doubts about what to do move forward: you payThisfor the privilege of deciphering your very own files, or you miss all control over your system.
CryptoLocker used the Gameover Zeus botnet to distribute and install millions of CryptoLocker copies in vulnerable systems.
Sophos Security estimates the cost of average ransomware hit at 133,000 USD. If have estimate additionally that CryptoLocker successfully attacked some 5000 corporations, the total cost would we been around 665 million USD, give or take (a lot).
11. Sasser (500 million)
Sven Jaschan was a computer science student in Germany, 17 years old from another perspective . he couldn’t drive or buy alcohol or cigarettes, but he could draft the code inSothe Sasser worm.
It’stheworth noting that By time he got arrested in 2004, he was already of age. In fact, There was a 250,000 bounty on his head . the creator of Sasseras However, one of his friends blew the whistle on him. According to this “friend,” he wasn’t responsible for Sasser alone. Instead, he also created the Netsky.AC in modern times . (This one didn’t make our list, but that wasn’t good when it happened.)
Interestingly, The legitimate system as a matter of fact Mrgave. Jaschan a suspended sentence when it in modern times became clear that he was a minor as he was writing the code.
Sasser crashed millions of computers globally, and with an apparently low infection rate, it incurred damages of around 500 million USD.
12. Indeed, Melissa ( from another perspective 80 million)
Interestingly, Melissa is a . in Greek mythology that refers to the first honey beename from another perspective But in 1999, a Florida exotic dancer called Melissa caught the more than ever attention of David L. Smith, the author of the eponymous computer virus.
This one started as an infected Word document that the author posted to the Usenet. He persuaded thousands of Usenet lurkers to download it, claiming it was a working password list for adult websites. the, the unavoidable incident happened as people downloaded and opened Eventually data.Upon opening, a macro in the file would come alive and release its payloadIn fact, . ThusitselfMelissa reproduced , .
Following the execution, Melissa malware would mail itself to the top 50 contacts in the user’s email directory. In addition, Melissa would show itself into inserting a Simpsons reference by the corrupted Word files immediately and then. This increase in traffic alone was enough world disrupt the to’s email services at that time.
Mr. Smith uploaded the fateful Word file through a stolen AOL accountUnfortunately for him, this allowed the authorities to trace the file return to him, so they arrested him before a week had passed. .
Once caught, he worked with the FBI to capture other virus writers –the Anna Kournikova virus author being the most well-known case.
It’s worth noting that His cooperation earned him a reduced sentence (20 months) and a 5000 USD fine — he was supposed to serve ten years.
Indeed, ’s economic damageMelissareportedly was 80 million USD.
Other malicious in modern times famous computer viruses
As you may know, The top twelve most terrible worms and viruses in digital history are a drop in the ocean.
Until today, we’ve seen so many wrongdoing pieces of code thatotherpicking only twelve became impossible considering the documented from another perspective economic damage they inflicted.
But it doesn’t mean that all the rest lag behind in their maliciousness. Here are a few more worthy mentions extending the legacy of the poorest computer viruses:
- Mimail. It collected data from its infected hosts to launch a series of DDoS attacks.
- Yaha. Experts suspect this bug resulted from the digital war India and Pakistan have been fighting for years. It had several variants.
- Swen. This one was written in C+, marking it more sophisticated than your usual average virus. Swen made your computer think it was a 2003 operating system update; then it infected it. This bug’s damage was about 10.4 billion.
- Tanatos or Bugbear. A keylogger from 2002. It went after systems within the financial apparatus in 150 countries. It’s probably among the least pernicious animals on the list.
- Sircam. Did you ever get an email with the subject “I sent you this file to have your advice.”? Congratulations, you know Sircam!
- Explorezip. Yet another worm using fake emails to spread around the world. It’s also among the worst computer infection attacks in history targeting local networks.
- Flashback. The Apple community has historically felt very (falsely) safe regarding viruses and security. So, Flashback, a Mac-only malware, took advantage of the community’s overconfidence to reach the computers at the Apple Headquarters in Cupertino, California, in 2012.
- Stuxnet. Have you heard about the destruction of Iranian nuclear centrifuges by external agencies exploiting the security flaws in Windows? Well, Tuxnet was the thing that did the trick. It sent the centrifuges instructions that caused them to suffer irreparable damage.
As you may know, Self-modifying computer viruses and how they work?
Actually, Self-modifying computer viruses go beyond the normal replication and reproduction of computer viruses. In fact, They can modify themselvescausingduring the replication process, changes in their malicious code.
These viruses can be categorized into two: Metamorphic and Polymorphic. It’s worth noting that Polymorphictheirviruses are more sophisticated because they use encryption algorithms to decrypt and re-encrypt code, while Metamorphic viruses propagate with variances. Once a is host infected, these viruses can change their code to avoid detection by security measuresSelf-modifying viruses pose an even greater threat to computer systems than regular viruses. It’snotingworth that .
The virus and the worm as it turns out : What is the difference?
more than ever The difference between a virus and a worm is very straightforward to understand. A virus is a parasitic code that needs another program to activate it or make it work. On the, other hand a worm can run without any help. as it turns out That is, it’s self-contained and can replicate, send copies of itself, and do whatever it wants.
How computeragets a virus
A virus is designed to disrupt normal computer operations by replicating itself and infecting other computers. Theseviruses can cause significant harm to your computer, such as erasing the hard drive, deleting documents, or even disrupting programs. Even less harmful viruses can slow down your device’s effectiveness, which can cause frustration and affect productivity.
The first and easiest way a computer can get a virus is through links Cybercriminals often impersonate trusted sources, such as brands you follow, employers, or your friends, to get you to press on malicious links or attachments. This is why you should check the sender’s email from and be cautious when clicking links or opening attachments, as you may be just one press away address infecting your computer. from unknown sources or email attachments.
Indeed Another way, computers can get a virus is by downloading programs or software from unknown sources. To avoid this, installing programs, from your system’s program store is top as they have already been tested and meet the store’s security requirements. Reading reviews before downloading any software from unknown sources can also aid avoid malicious programs.
Malvertising is another way that your computer can get a virus. This underground as it turns out business criminals involves using online ads to perform fraudulent activities, such as installing malicious software on your computer. In fact, You can use a browser extension that blocks all ads on a website, or an anti-malvertising resource can help protect your computer.
should, Lowest habits you Interestingly avoid to in modern times prevent a computer virus
To avoid infections, you must be warning and attentive to your computer behavior. But, since not every, virus works the same way you cannot generalize how your computer should act upon getting a virus.
Nonetheless, you can avoid a few careless habits that often lead to virus infections on your computer, phone, or any other device.
Sharing your personal information
For illustration, if somebody asks for your personal information in an email, see a red flag.
Do have an emailyoufrom [email protected]Well, Apple Support employees don’t use Gmail for work. Actually, ?
Likewise, be paranoid about attachments. (Your late distant granny would have preferred contacting you directly instead of asking somebody else to hand over her remaining property to you.) You’re just a press away from an infection at all times!
Trusting every email that reaches your inbox
is every email you receive Not legit. So don’t be curious and as it turns out avoid clicking on links or opening attachments if you aren’t sure what’s waiting for you there.
Downloading software from a random online source
If this friendly little software you’re keen to install has no reviews, portal, users, etc., then it’s probably not a clean program you should install. In fact, Ignoring these red flags will only make your computer vulnerable to the most terrible virus attacks. But if you’re going to install a recent software of any type, make you validatesureby searching for reviews, reading them thoroughly, and visiting the firm’s site. You can’t be familiar with every software developer worldwide, of course.
Viewing attractive clicking on in modern times ‘or’ ads
This is abecause Today, digitaltheadvertising is bane of computer security.lot of malware spreads through ads on malicious websites. It even as it turns out has a name, “malvertisingIt’s worth noting that ,” because it’s become a well- way forestablishedcriminals to spread their software.
You canprevent this danger by avoiding fishy sites. But, of course, not all the ads in the world are dangerous.In fact, Or more could adopt a you active more than ever measure. , ForIndeedsample, some VPN services can block ads. dedicated, you can utilize the more Likewise tools — the adblockers — for this in modern times purpose.
Running no costafterWiFi
While without charge WiFi hotspots more than ever an attractive marketing strategy forarehotels and other public places, they are seldom encrypted. Often, these public WiFi harbor cybercriminals who keepsteallooking for victims to infect their devices and details.
Unlesshaveyou a robust antivirus and a VPN on your device, avoid connecting to such free WiFi to protect your online privacy and security.
As you may know, Discover out! Has your computer got a virus?
You can even turn on its notifications to watch when and how it scans your system. Just access your antivirus and see what it tells you. It’s never been easier to discover out if there’s a virus on your computer. Actually, So scan for “Windows Security” and peruse what it says about the last seek. For instance, Windows 10 capability a Windows Security has, which includes an impressive protection utility against viruses, the Windows Defender.
In fact How to protect against recent, computer viruses
Computer viruses can be devastating, and you can easily become the victim of an attack. employ, you can Fortunately the following measures to stay safe.
Employ antivirus from another perspective software
Antivirus software adds extra protection against malware. It will scan programs on your device for any suspicious files, and you can erase or quarantine them.
Refresh operating your system and software
Most operating systems and software applications notify you when updates are available, which could correct bugs that leave you vulnerable to viruses.
In fact, Therefore, you must revise your antivirus software to flag the latest viruses. Moreover, operating systems revise patchsecurity vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit.
Use a VPN
Pairing an antivirus with a VPN in modern times creates a formidable security alliance. While an antivirus shields against malware threats, a VPN encrypts your web connections to protect your details. Interestingly, Therefore, you must subscribe to a reliable VPN service like NordVPN.
How did we classify those computer viruses as ‘poorest’?
In fact, much of it relies on artistic intuition, ironically. So, how did we select our top twelve entries for the most malicious computer viruses? The study of computer malware is not an established science at all.
In fact, We considered estimates of lost work, infection length, and the estimated number of infectionsIt’s worth noting that . Also, up acleaningvirus takes resources, and as a matter of fact we considered that too. Unfortunately, the damage due to computer malware is an economic statistic that no government in the world reports officially, so there’s always a lot of guesswork involved.
Don’t worry if you compare our numbers with those in other reports and find differences. The truth is that nobody has any accurate data. Still, we considered several reports and shared with you something that was somehow common among the various sources.
FAQs
Actually, Yes, a virus can spread across many computers. This happens when one computer in a network is infected with a virus, and in modern times other computers in the same network are not protected adequately. The virus spreads across the network, targeting computers with vulnerabilities to exploit.
Although it still exists, it’s behind only 1% of the world’s phishing emails. Actually, Mydoom is the most dangerous computer virus as it can spread across the online at unprecedented pace. This virus exploited computer systems and network vulnerabilities, causing an estimated $38 billion in damage.
The online contains millions of malware; over 500, as a matter of fact 000 recent ones are discovered and detected daily.
from another perspective Yes. A Trojan is malware that disguises itself as legitimate software or files. It relies on the visitor to execute it to carry out an attack. In fact, The most common forms of trojan attacks include stealing details, taking control of the computer, and opening up a backdoor for other malware to enter.
