What are the top five computer viruses of all time?

There are many computer viruses that have caused significant damage over the years, but the following five have been particularly destructive.

1. ILOVEYOU

This virus appeared in 2000 and quickly spread around the world, infecting millions of computers. It arrived in an email appearing to be from a loved one, with the message “ILOVEYOU” and an attachment. Once opened, the attachment would release the virus, which would then send itself out to all the contacts in the victim’s address book. The ILOVEYOU virus caused an estimated $5.5 billion in damage.

2.Melissa

Melissa was a virus that also spread via email in 1999. It would arrive in an email with the subject line “Important Message From [name]”. The message would contain a short piece of text, and an attachment. Once opened, the attachment would release the virus, which would then send itself out to the first 50 people in the victim’s address book. It is estimated that Melissa caused around $80 million in damage.

3. Mydoom

Mydoom appeared in 2004 and was primarily spread via email attachments and instant messages. It was one of the fastest-spreading viruses of all time, at one point accounting for over one quarter of all emails sent. Once installed on a computer, the virus would allow the attacker to take control of the machine and use it to send out more emails and launch attacks on websites. Mydoom is estimated to have caused over $38 billion in damage.

4. Sasser

Sasser appeared in 2004 and quickly spread across the internet, infecting thousands of computers. It was a “worm”, meaning it could spread without any user interaction. Once installed on a computer, the virus would Cause the machine to restart repeatedly, making it unusable. Sasser is estimated to have caused over $18 billion in damage.

5. Conficker

Conficker appeared in 2008 and is still active today. It is a “worm” that spread by taking advantage of certain security vulnerabilities in Windows computers. Once installed on a computer, the virus would disable security features and allow the attacker to take control of the machine. It is estimated that Conficker has caused over $9 billion in damage.

What are some methods that computer viruses use to propagate themselves?

A computer virus is a type of malware that, when executed, replicates by inserting copies of itself (or modifying existing files) and spreading to other computers. When this replication succeeds, the affected areas are then said to be “infected” with a virus. Virus writers use social engineering deceptions and exploit detailed knowledge of security vulnerabilities to gain access to their target systems.

Viruses can be transmitted in several ways. The most common is by email, where the virus payload is sent as an attachment. When the email is opened, the virus is executed and can infect the computer. This propagation can be automated by worm viruses that do not require any user intervention to propagate. Another common method is via removable media such as USB drives, where the virus copies itself onto the drive and creates an autorun file. When the USB drive is connected to another computer, the virus is executed and can infect the computer. Finally, viruses can be spread by infecting legitimate files and programs that are then shared by users.

The most common goal of a virus is to infect as many computers as possible in order to spread itself. However, some viruses are designed to cause damage to the computer or its files. These viruses are known as destructive or malicious viruses.

We used malwarezero.org to write this article about computer viruses. Click here to learn more.