The 20 most deadly computer viruses of all time

There are literally hundreds of thousands of computer viruses in existence today, most of which are relatively harmless. However, there are a handful of particularly nasty viruses that have caused serious damage, both in terms of financial loss and human lives. Here are 20 of the most deadly computer viruses of all time.

1. The Morris worm

The Morris worm is widely considered to be the first major computer virus. Developed in 1988 by Robert Tappan Morris, a then-student at Cornell University, the worm was designed to exploit vulnerabilities in Unix systems. It was highly successful, spreading to over 6,000 systems within a few hours and causing an estimated $100,000 in damage.

2. The CIH virus

The CIH virus, also known as Chernobyl, was first discovered in 1998. The virus was particularly destructive, overwriting the BIOS of infected computers and rendering them unusable. The virus is estimated to have caused over $1 billion in damage, making it one of the most costly viruses in history.

3. The Melissa virus

The Melissa virus was first discovered in 1999. The virus, which was spread via email, infected computers and caused them to send out mass emails containing the virus to all contacts in the address book. The virus is estimated to have caused over $80 million in damage.

4. The Love Letter virus

The Love Letter virus, also known as the ILOVEYOU virus, is a computer worm that spread rapidly in 2000. The virus, which was spread via email, infected computers and caused them to send mass emails containing the virus to all contacts in the address book. The virus is estimated to have caused over $5.5 billion in damage, making it one of the most costly viruses in history.

5. The Code Red worm

The Code Red worm was first discovered in 2001. The worm exploited a buffer overflow vulnerability in Microsoft’s IIS web server software and caused infected computers to launch denial of service attacks against a specified target. The worm is estimated to have caused over $2 billion in damage.

6. The SQL Slammer worm

The SQL Slammer worm was first discovered in 2003. The worm exploited a buffer overflow vulnerability in Microsoft SQL Server and caused infected computers to launch denial of service attacks against a specified target. The worm is estimated to have caused over $1 billion in damage.

7. The Sasser worm

The Sasser worm was first discovered in 2004. The worm exploited a buffer overflow vulnerability in the Windows Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) and caused infected computers to reboot continuously. The worm is estimated to have caused over $18 million in damage.

8. The Mydoom virus

The Mydoom virus was first discovered in 2004. The virus, which was spread via email, infected computers and caused them to send mass emails containing the virus to all contacts in the address book. The virus is estimated to have caused over $38 billion in damage, making it one of the most costly viruses in history.

9. The Storm worm

The Storm worm was first discovered in 2007. The worm, which was spread via email, infected computers and caused them to send mass emails containing the virus to all contacts in the address book. The virus is estimated to have caused over $14 billion in damage.

10. The Conficker worm

The Conficker worm was first discovered in 2008. The worm exploits a vulnerability in the Windows Server service and causes infected computers to contact a remote server in order to receive instructions. The worm is estimated to have caused over $9.1 billion in damage.

11. The Stuxnet worm

The Stuxnet worm was first discovered in 2010. The worm, which was specifically designed to target industrial control systems, is estimated to have caused over $1 billion in damage.

12. The Flame virus

The Flame virus was first discovered in 2012. The virus, which is believed to have been developed by the United States and Israel, is a sophisticated piece of malware that was designed to collect information from infected computers. The virus is estimated to have caused over $10 billion in damage.

13. The Cryptolocker virus

The Cryptolocker virus was first discovered in 2013. The virus, which is a type of ransomware, encrypted the files on infected computers and demanded a ransom in order to decrypt them. The virus is estimated to have caused over $5 billion in damage.

14. The WannaCry ransomware

The WannaCry ransomware was first discovered in 2017. The ransomware, which was spread via the EternalBlue exploit, encrypted the files on infected computers and demanded a ransom in order to decrypt them. The ransomware is estimated to have caused over $4 billion in damage.

15. The NotPetya virus

The NotPetya virus was first discovered in 2017. The virus, which is a type of ransomware, encrypted the files on infected computers and demanded a ransom in order to decrypt them. The virus is estimated to have caused over $10 billion in damage, making it one of the most costly viruses in history.

16. The Emotet virus

The Emotet virus was first discovered in 2014. The virus, which is a type of malware, is designed to steal personal information from infected computers. The virus is estimated to have caused over $1 billion in damage.

17. The Petya virus

The Petya virus was first discovered in 2016. The virus, which is a type of ransomware, encrypted the files on infected computers and demanded a ransom in order to decrypt them. The virus is estimated to have caused over $1 billion in damage.

18. The Trickbot virus

The Trickbot virus was first discovered in 2016. The virus, which is a type of malware, is designed to steal personal and financial information from infected computers. The virus is estimated to have caused over $1 billion in damage.

19. The WannaCry 2.0 virus

The WannaCry 2.0 virus was first discovered in 2017. The virus, which is a type of ransomware, encrypted the files on infected computers and demanded a ransom in order to decrypt them. The virus is estimated to have caused over $4 billion in damage.

20. The Zeus virus

The Zeus virus was first discovered in 2007. The virus, which is a type of malware, is designed to steal personal and financial information from infected computers. The virus is estimated to have caused over $100 million in damage..Original Content

What is the best way to protect yourself from computer viruses?

There is no 100%, foolproof way to protect your computer from viruses. However, there are a few things you can do to lessen the chances of your computer becoming infected.

First and foremost, you should have some sort of anti-virus software installed on your computer. This will help to catch and remove any viruses that manage to make it onto your machine. Be sure to keep your anti-virus software up-to-date, as new viruses are constantly being created.

In addition to anti-virus software, you should also be careful about the websites you visit and the files you download. Only visit reputable websites, and be sure to scan any files you download before opening them. If you’re unsure about a website or file, doing a quick Google search can often tell you if it’s safe or not.

Finally, one of the best ways to protect your computer is to simply create a backup. That way, if your computer does become infected, you can restore it to a previous, uninfected state. You can back up your files using an external hard drive, cloud storage, or even just a USB flash drive.

No matter what measures you take, there’s always a chance that your computer could become infected with a virus. However, by taking some basic precautions, you can significantly reduce the risk.

Visit malwarezero.org to learn more about most deadly computer virus. Disclaimer: We used this website as a reference for this blog post.