It is important in many fields to take a look back and see how far technology has advanced as well as examine ways that it went awry. Recently cyber attacks have made front page headlines as they have impacted tens of thousands of computers worldwide. Viruses, ransomware and malicious hacking are becoming more common and unfortunately more destructive as these cyber criminals become more sophisticated. Therefore, this month we are taking a look back at the most destructive viruses in the past.
- I LOVE YOU Virus – When the ILOVEYOU virus hit in 2000 it was considered one of the most virulent computer virus ever created. With damages estimated in the $10 billion range and 10% of the world’s computers effected it was a disaster.
- MyDoom – Like ILOVEYOU, MyDoom was a record holder in that is was a fast spreading email-based worm. In 2004, roughly somewhere between 16-25% of all emails had been infected by MyDoom. The ultimate cost of the malware: $38 billion.
- CryptoLocker – This ransomware spread through email attachments in September 2013 and encrypted the user’s files so that they couldn’t access them. The criminals would then demand a fee for the decryption password. Cost of the malware: With 500,000 victims, CryptoLocker made upwards of $30 million in 100 days.
- Stuxnex – This is the scariest of the bunch! Stuxnet was built by government engineers in the US with the intention of obstructing nukes from being built in Iran. Stuxnet spread by a USB thumb drive and targeted software controlling a facility in Iran that held uranium.
- Code Red – This virus first surfaced in 2001 and was discovered by two eEye Digital Security employees. It was named Code Red because the the pair were drinking Code Red Mountain Dew at the time of discovery. The worm targeted computers with Microsoft IIS web server installed, exploiting a buffer overflow problem in the system.
Read our next blog as we continue to discuss the Most Destructive Viruses in recent history.