10 Deadly Computer Viruses That Shook the World
BENGALURU: Every one of us is familiar with the computer virus and how much trouble it causes with our data. These viruses are small software programs that are designed to spread from one computer to another and to interfere with computer operation, compile TechRepublic.
Nowadays every one of us surf internet and download files but we are not sure whether the downloaded file is safe to open or is it a virus that destroys our data. A computer virus might corrupt or delete data on your computer, use your email program to spread itself to other computers, or even erase everything on your hard disk. Here is the list of most dreadful computer viruses from past and be alert when get files from unknown sources..
ILOVEYOU or Love Letter
This virus had disguised itself in email inboxes as a text file that quickly spread to 10 percent of all Internet-based computers and the estimated damages were $15 billion.
Sircam
Sircam is the virus, a social engineering trick to trick people in to opening their email attachment and later chooses a random Microsoft Office file on user’s computer. After infecting the users files it selects and send the infected file to all the people in the victims email contact list. The loss is estimated to be $3 billion.
Code Red
The Code Red worm infected up to one-third of all Microsoft ISS web servers upon release. It even took down whitehouse.gov, replacing its homepage with a “Hacked by Chinese!” message. The damage due to Code Red was estimated to be billions of dollars.
Skulls.A
The Skulls.A is a mobile Trojan that affected the Nokia 7610 smartphone and other SymbOS devices. The malware was designed to change all icons on infected phones to Jolly Rogers and disable all phone functions, save for making and receiving calls.
MyDoom
MyDoom worm infects and increases the average page load time on the Internet by 50 percent, it also blocks infected computer from accessing to anti-virus sites, and launched a denial-of-service attack on computing giant Microsoft. The costs associated with cleanup of MyDoom are estimated to be $40 billion.
Storm Trojan
Storm Trojan infected 8 percent of all global systems with in three days of its launch in 2007. The Trojan created a massive disruptive virus that changes its packaging code every minute making it hard to break the code. This virus affected more than 10 million computers.
Conficker
The Conficker worm infected computer’s anti-virus programs and block auto updates that may otherwise remove it from computers. Conficker quickly spread to numerous important computer networks, including those of the English, French, and German armed forces, causing $9 billion in damage.
Stuxnet
Stuxnet is one of the first known viruses created for cyberwarfare, which targeted nuclear enrichment systems in Iran. Infected computers instructed nuclear centrifuges to physically spin until they broke, all while providing fake feedback that operations were normal.
Zeus
Zeus or Zbot was a tool used by a complex criminal enterprise, which uses phishing and key logging to steal online banking credentials. The virus has stolen over $70 million from the accounts of its victims.
Cryptolocker
Cryptolocker infects the important files in the hard drives; it encrypts and holds the files at ransom. The victims have to pay $300 bit coins to the hackers to get the key if not the virus will delete the files forever.
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