Computer virus can be a nightmare . Some can pass over out the information on a severe drive , tie up traffic on a electronic computer connection for hours , plough an innocent auto into azombieand replicate and institutionalize themselves to other computers . If you ’ve never had a political machine pin victim to a data processor computer virus , you may inquire what the fuss is about . But the headache is understandable – grant to Consumer Reports , computer computer virus helped contribute to $ 8.5 billion in consumer loss in 2008 [ germ : MarketWatch ] . Computer viruses are just one kind of online scourge , but they ’re arguably the best known of the bunch .
reckoner virus have been around for many years . In fact , in 1949 , a scientist advert John von Neumann theorized that a self - reduplicate program was possible [ source : Krebs ] . The information processing system industry was n’t even a decennary quondam , and already someone had figured out how to contrive a monkey wrench into the figurative gears . But it took a few decades before programmer known ashackersbegan to build up estimator viruses .
While some prankster create virus - like programme for expectant estimator systems , it was really the foundation of the personal computing gadget that brought estimator viruses to the public ’s care . A doctorial scholar diagnose Fred Cohen was the first to key out ego - replicating programs designed to modify figurer as viruses . The name has stuck ever since .
In the good old days ( i.e. , the other 1980s ) , viruses calculate on humans to do the hard work of spreading the virus to other computers . Ahackerwould save the virus to disks and then circularize the disks to other mass . It was n’t until modems became vulgar that virus contagion became a real problem . Today when we opine of a estimator virus , we usually imagine something that conduct itself via the net . It might infect computers throughe - mailmessages or corrupted World Wide Web liaison . programme like these can spread much faster than the earliest information processing system viruses .
We ’re going to take a look at 10 of the worst calculator viruses to stultify a computer organization . lease ’s start with the Melissa computer virus .
10: Melissa
In the spring of 1999 , a man identify David L. Smith create acomputer virusbased on a Microsoft Word macro . He build the computer virus so that it could circulate throughe - mailmessages . Smith named the computer virus " Melissa , " tell that he key it after an alien dancer from Florida [ source : CNN ] .
Rather than shaking its moneymaker , the Melissa computer computer virus tempts recipients into opening a document with an tocopherol - ring armor message like " Here is that written document you ask for , do n’t show it to anybody else . " Once activated , the virus replicate itself and sends itself out to the top 50 multitude in the recipient ’s vitamin E - ring armour computer address Christian Bible .
The computer virus spread rapidly after Smith unleashed it on the creation . The United States federal government became very concerned in Smith ’s body of work – according to statements made by FBI functionary to Congress , the Melissa computer virus " wreaked mayhem on government and private sphere networks " [ reference : FBI ] . The growth in e - ring armour dealings forced some companies to discontinue east - mail curriculum until the computer virus was take .
After a lengthy tribulation process , Smith lost his caseful and experience a 20 - month jail judgment of conviction . The courtroom also break water Smith $ 5,000 and forbade him from access computer meshwork without court authorization [ source : BBC ] . in the end , the Melissa virus did n’t cripple theInternet , but it was one of the first figurer virus to get the world ’s aid .
Flavors of Viruses
In this clause , we ’ll depend at several different kinds of computer viruses . Here ’s a ready guide to what we ’ll see :
Next , we ’ll look at a computer virus that had a sweet-scented name but a foul consequence on its victims .
9: ILOVEYOU
A twelvemonth after the Melissavirushit theInternet , a digital threat emerged from the Philippines . Unlike the Melissa computer virus , this threat come in the cast of a worm – it was a standalone program capable of repeat itself . It give birth the name ILOVEYOU .
The ILOVEYOU computer virus ab initio travel the net by east - mail , just like the Melissa virus . The subject of the due east - ring armor say that the message was a honey letter from a secret admirer . An adherence in the atomic number 99 - postal service was what caused all the bother . The original worm had the file name of LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT.vbs . The vbs extension point to the language the cyberpunk used to create the worm : Visual Basic Scripting[source : McAfee ] .
According to anti - virus software program producerMcAfee , the ILOVEYOU virus had a wide image of attack :
Who created the ILOVEYOU virus ? Some think it was Onel de Guzman of the Philippines . Philippine federal agency investigated de Guzman on charge of stealing – at the time the Philippines had no information processing system espionage or sabotage laws . Citing a deficiency of grounds , the Filipino authority dropped the charge against de Guzman , who would neither confirm nor deny his responsibility for the computer virus . According to some estimate , the ILOVEYOU virus cause $ 10 billion in damages [ informant : Landler ] .
Now that the honey fest is over , let ’s take a smell at one of the most far-flung virus to hit the WWW .
8: The Klez Virus
The Klez computer virus mark a novel direction forcomputer virus , setting the measure high for those that would adopt . It debut in late 2001 , and variation of the virus beset the cyberspace for several months . The introductory Klez worm infected a dupe ’s computer through ane - mailmessage , reduplicate itself and then sent itself to people in the victim ’s speech book . Some variation of the Klez virus carried other harmful programs that could picture a victim ’s computer inoperable . Depending on the version , the Klez computer virus could play like a normal computer virus , a louse or a Trojan horse . It could even disable virus - scanning software and pose as a virus - removal prick [ reference : Symantec ] .
in brief after it appeared on theInternet , hackers modified the Klez virus in a mode that made it far more effective . Like other viruses , it could comb through a victim ’s reference book and get off itself to contacts . But it could also take another name from the contact listing and post that address in the " From " theatre of operations in the tocopherol - chain mail client . It ’s address burlesque – the e - ring armor appears to come from one source when it ’s really coming from somewhere else .
Spoofing an e - mail reference carry out a yoke of goals . For one thing , it does n’t do the recipient of the e - mail any good to block the person in the " From " field , since the e - mail are really coming from someone else . A Klez worm programmed tospampeople with multiple e - mails could clog up an inbox in unretentive orderliness , because the recipients would be unable to tell what the substantial beginning of the problem was . Also , the eastward - mail ’s recipient might recognise the name in the " From " bailiwick and therefore be more open to opening it .
Antivirus Software
It ’s important to have an antivirus computer program on your computer , and to keep it up to date . But you should n’t employ more than one suite , as multiple antivirus programs can intervene with one another . Here ’s a listing of some antivirus software system suites :
Several major reckoner viruses debuted in 2001 . In the next section , we ’ll take a look at Code Red .
7: Code Red and Code Red II
The Code Red and Code Red II worms pop up in the summer of 2001 . Both worms exploited anoperating systemvulnerability that was found in machines campaign Windows 2000 and Windows NT . The exposure was abuffer flood problem , which means when a car play on these operating system receive more info than its fender can manage , it begin to overwrite adjacentmemory .
The original Code Red worm initiated a distributed denial of service ( DDoS ) attack on the White House . That means all the computer infected with Code Red hear to contact theWeb serversat the White House at the same time , overloading the machines .
A Windows 2000 car infected by the Code Red II worm no longer obey the owner . That ’s because the worm create abackdoorinto the computer ’s operating system , let a distant user to access and manipulate the automobile . In computing term , this is asystem - level compromise , and it ’s forged tidings for the computer ’s owner . The someone behind theviruscan memory access information from the dupe ’s figurer or even utilize the infect electronic computer to commit crimes . That means the dupe not only has to allot with an infected computer , but also may hang under suspiciousness for crimes he or she did n’t commit .
While Windows NT machine were vulnerable to the Code Red worms , the viruses ' outcome on these machines was n’t as uttermost . Web server running Windows NT might crash more often than normal , but that was about as bad as it got . compare to the woe experienced by Windows 2000 users , that ’s not so speculative .
Microsoftreleased software package patches that turn to the security exposure in Windows 2000 and Windows NT . Once patched , the original worms could no longer infect a Windows 2000 machine ; however , the dapple did n’t take away viruses from infected computers – victims had to do that themselves .
6: Nimda
Anothervirusto hit theInternetin 2001 was the Nimda ( which is admin spelled backwards ) louse . Nimda circulate through the cyberspace rapidly , becoming the fastest propagating computer virus at that time . In fact , according to TruSecure CTO Peter Tippett , it only took 22 minute from the moment Nimda hit the Internet to strain the top of the tilt of describe attacks [ rootage : Anthes ] .
The Nimda worm ’s primary targets were cyberspace servers . While it could infect a homePC , its real purpose was to bring Internet traffic to a creeping . It could move around through the cyberspace using multiple methods , including east - mail . This help scatter the virus across multiple waiter in record time .
The Nimda worm created a backdoor into the victim’soperating system of rules . It allowed the mortal behind the attack to enter the same point of function as whatever story was logged into the machine presently . In other words , if a user with limited privileges activate the worm on acomputer , the attacker would also have limited access to the computer ’s affair . On the other hand , if the victim was the administrator for the simple machine , the attacker would have full dominance .
The spread of the Nimda virus caused some internet system to dash as more of the organisation ’s resources became fodder for the insect . In essence , the Nimda worm became a distributed demurrer of serving ( DDoS ) onrush .
Phoning it In
Not all computer viruses pore on computer . Some target other electronic devices . Here ’s just a humble sampling of some highly portable virus :
Next , we ’ll take a look at a virus that affected major networks , include airline computers and bankATMs .
5: SQL Slammer/Sapphire
In late January 2003 , a newWeb servervirus spread across theInternet . Many computing gadget networks were unprepared for the flack , and as a termination the computer virus brought down several important systems . The Bank of America ’s ATM military service ram , the metropolis of Seattle suffered outages in 911 military service and Continental Airlines had to call off several flights due toelectronic ticketingand check - in mistake .
The culprit was the SQL Slammer computer virus , also known as Sapphire . By some estimation , the virus caused more than $ 1 billion in harm before spell and antivirus software caught up to the job [ reservoir : Lemos ] . The procession of Slammer ’s attack is well documented . Only a few moment after infecting its first cyberspace waiter , the Slammer virus was doubling its number of dupe every few moment . Fifteen minutes after its first onset , the Slammer computer virus infected about one-half of the servers that act as the pillars of the Internet [ germ : Boutin ] .
The Slammer virus taught a valuable object lesson : It ’s not enough to check that you have the late patches and antivirus software package . Hackerswill always look for a way of life to exploit any failing , particularly if the exposure is n’t widely recognize . While it ’s still important to try and manoeuvre off viruses before they attain you , it ’s also important to have a forged - case - scenario plan to fall back on should tragedy strike .
A Matter of Timing
Some hackers program viruses to sit dormant on a dupe ’s computer only to unleash an attack on a specific date . Here ’s a quick sampling of some famous virus that had time triggers :
information processing system virus can make a victim find helpless , vulnerable and despondent . Next , we ’ll look at a virus with a name that evokes all three of those tactile sensation .
4: MyDoom
The MyDoom ( or Novarg)virusis another dirt ball that can create a backdoor in the victim computer’soperating organisation . The original MyDoom virus – there have been several version – had two triggers . One trigger get the virus to start a abnegation of divine service ( DoS ) attack starting Feb. 1 , 2004 . The second induction command the computer virus to stop distributing itself on Feb. 12 , 2004 . Even after the virus stopped broadcast , the backdoors created during the initial infection remained active [ source : Symantec ] .
Later that year , a 2nd irruption of the MyDoom computer virus gave severalsearch enginecompanies brokenheartedness . Like other computer virus , MyDoom search victim computers for Es - ring mail addresses as part of its replication process . But it would also air a search petition to a search engine and use e - mail address found in the hunting results . Eventually , search engine likeGooglebegan to receive millions of hunt request from corrupt computers . These attacks retard down search engine military service and even cause some to crash [ source : Sullivan ] .
MyDoom spread through eastward - mail and equal - to - peer networks . According to the security business firm MessageLabs , one in every 12e - mailmessages carry the virus at one clip [ reservoir : BBC ] . Like the Klez virus , MyDoom could spoof e - chain mail so that it became very difficult to go after the beginning of the infection .
Oddball Viruses
Not all viruses have severe hurt to computers or put down connection . Some just cause computer to play in rum way . An early computer virus squall Ping - Pong created a take a hop ball computer graphic , but did n’t gravely damage the septic computing machine . There are several jocularity programs that might make a electronic computer possessor think his or her reckoner is taint , but they ’re really harmless program that do n’t self - double . When in doubt , it ’s best to lease an antivirus program remove the program .
Next , we ’ll take a look at a pair of viruses created by the same hacker : the Sasser and Netsky virus .
3: Sasser and Netsky
Sometimescomputer virusprogrammers escape detection . But once in a while , authorities get a path to go after a computer virus back to its origin . Such was the causa with the Sasser and Netsky virus . A 17 - class - old German identify Sven Jaschan created the two programs and unleashed them onto theInternet . While the two worms behaved in different ways , similarities in the codification led security measure expert to believe they both were the oeuvre of the same somebody .
The Sasser insect assail electronic computer through a Microsoft Windows vulnerability . Unlike other worms , it did n’t spread through e - mail . Instead , once the virus infected a reckoner , it look for other vulnerable system of rules . It get hold of those systems and instructed them to download the virus . The virus would rake randomIP addressesto find likely victims . The computer virus also alter the victim’soperating systemin a way that made it unmanageable to exclude down the computer without cut off power to the organisation .
The Netsky virus moves throughe - mailsand Windows networks . It burlesque e - mail address and propagates through a 22,016 - byte data file attachment [ source : CERT ] . As it spreads , it can cause a defence of service ( DoS ) attempt as systems crash while trying to handle all the Internet traffic . At one time , security measures experts at Sophos trust Netsky and its variate accounted for 25 percent of all information processing system viruses on the Internet [ source : Wagner ] .
Sven Jaschan spent no time in jail ; he received a sentence of one year and nine months of probation . Because he was under 18 at the meter of his stop , he avoided being hear as an grownup in German court .
So far , most of the virus we ’ve looked at butt personal computer running Windows . But Macintosh computers are n’t immune to reckoner computer virus attack . In the next section , we ’ll take a look at the first virus to confide a Mac attack .
2: Leap-A/Oompa-A
possibly you ’ve seen the advertising in Apple ’s Mac information processing system marketing political campaign where Justin " I ’m a Mac " Long consoles John " I ’m a PC " Hodgman . Hodgman comes down with avirusand points out that there are more than 100,000 viruses that can fall upon a computer . Long say that those viruses targetPCs , not Mac computers .
For the most part , that ’s true . Mac computing machine are part protected from virus attack because of a concept calledsecurity through obscurity . Apple has a report for keeping itsoperating system(OS ) and hardware a unopen arrangement – Apple produces both the computer hardware and the software . This keep the atomic number 8 obscure . Traditionally , Macs have been a removed second to PCs in the habitation computer marketplace . A hacker who creates a virus for the Mac wo n’t hit as many dupe as he or she would with a computer virus for personal computer .
But that has n’t stopped at least one Machacker . In 2006 , the Leap - A computer virus , also make out as Oompa - A , debuted . It uses the iChat crying messaging program to disseminate across vulnerable Mac reckoner . After the computer virus infect a Mac , it searches through the iChat touch and sends a message to each person on the inclination . The message contains a debased file that seems to be an unacquainted JPEG image .
The Leap - A virus does n’t stimulate much hurt to computers , but it does show that even a Mac estimator can fall target to malicious software system . As Mac figurer become more democratic , we ’ll likely see more hackers create customized viruses that could damage files on the computing machine or snarl meshing dealings . Hodgman ’s character may yet have his revenge .
We ’re down to the end of the listing . What computer virus has set ashore the number one spot ?
1: Storm Worm
The latestviruson our lean is the dreaded Storm Worm . It was late 2006 when computer security measures experts first identify the worm . The world set about to call the computer virus the Storm Worm because one of thee - mailmessages carrying the virus had as its bailiwick " 230 bushed as storm batters Europe . " Antivirus companies call the worm other names . For example , Symantec calls it Peacomm while McAfee consult to it as Nuwar . This might sound confusing , but there ’s already a 2001 virus called the W32.Storm . insect . The 2001 computer virus and the 2006 insect are entirely dissimilar programs .
The Storm Worm is a Trojan horse programme . Its consignment is another program , though not always the same one . Some versions of the Storm Worm bend calculator intozombiesorbots . As figurer become infected , they become vulnerable to remote control by the soul behind the attack . Some hackers use the Storm Worm to create abotnetand use it to sendspammail across the Internet .
Many versions of the Storm Worm fool the victim into downloading the app program through bastard golf links to news show stories or television . The multitude behind the blast will often change the bailiwick of the eastward - ring mail to speculate current event . For example , just before the 2008 Olympics in Beijing , a new version of the insect appeared in atomic number 99 - chain armour with subjects like " a new deadly catastrophe in China " or " China ’s most baneful earthquake . " The atomic number 99 - post claim to link to telecasting and news stories related to the subject , but in reality clicking on the linkup activated a download of the worm to the victim ’s computer [ source : McAfee ] .
Several news office andblogsnamed the Storm Worm one of the worst virus attacks in years . By July 2007 , an official with the security company Postini claim that the business firm detected more than 200 million e - mails carry links to the Storm Worm during an plan of attack that spanned several days [ seed : Gaudin ] . Fortunately , not every e - mail contribute to someone download the louse .
Although the Storm Worm is widespread , it ’s not the most hard virus to find or hit from a computer organization . If you keep your antivirus computer software up to date and think of to use caution when you pick up tocopherol - chain armour from unfamiliar people or see unknown links , you ’ll write yourself some major head ache .
desire to find out more about computer virus ? Take a tone at the connectedness on the next page , if you dare .
