zeon22 Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Since 1981, when the first reported virus was let loose on networks all over the world, millions of people have fallen victim to Trojan horses, worms, and viruses. Entire industries have been built to help defend the masses, but even Symantec and Norton couldn't safeguard everything. Coders got smarter and more vile in their tactics—targeting vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office files, government websites, and even Macintosh computers, which people thought were untouchable. Suffice to say, it's been a wild 30 years.Here is the list..........................50. Elk ClonerBelieved Origin: USAYear: 1981Believed to be the first virus released into the wild, the Elk Cloner reflected the camp spirit of the frontier days of computing in the early '80s. It was written by 15-year-old prankster Rich Skrenta for Apple II's DOS 3.3 operating system and passed along on floppy disks to his friends. Unlike its modern descendants, the virus was more likely to annoy you than wreak havoc on your system. Those infected with Elk Cloner saw the following limerick and heard a tune on every 50th boot: "It will get on all your disks / It will infiltrate your chips / Yes, it's Cloner! / It will stick to you like glue / It will modify RAM too / Send in the Cloner!"49. Ramen Believed Origin: UnknownYear: 1996One of the more mischievous strains, the Ramen worm was among the first to infect the cult operating system Linux. Ramen self-propagated over email and targeted web programmers, who were among the most likely to use Linux. The worm installs a rootkit, giving the attacker privileged access to the system. It then converts all files designated to code a homepage so that they display the following message alongside an image of the meal famously preferred by the penniless: "RameN Crew Hackers looooooooooooooooove noodles."48. Baza Believed Origin: UnknownYear: 1995The first virus to infect Windows 95. As the booming operating system became increasingly ubiquitous, it was also becoming hackers' No. 1 target.47. MacMagBelieved Origin: MontrealYear: 1989If megalomania is a prerequisite for attempting to change the world via computer virus, then no one should be surprised that one of the earliest cyber terrorists was a magazine publisher. MacMag was a virus commissioned by Richard Brandow, editor and publisher of Mac Mag, a computer magazine based in Montreal. The virus was programmed to infect Mac computers and display the following message on all systems simultaneously: "RICHARD BRANDOW, publisher of MacMag, and its entire staff would like to take this opportunity to convey their UNIVERSAL MESSAGE OF PEACE to all Macintosh users around the world." Unfortunately, however, there was a bug in the virus's code. Instead of peace, many who were infected simply got a crashed system. Brandow, of course, was unapologetic.46. ScoresBelieved Origin: USAYear: 1989Racking up collateral damage like a workplace shooting, the Scores virus was the product of a disgruntled worker. Its unknown author programmed it specifically to attack two software applications designed by a company that had laid him off. The virus spread gradually through the system, and caused major damage to some versions of Mac computers.45. BagleBelieved Origin: GermanyYear: 2004The Bagle worm spread itself via emails and affected all versions of Windows. It broke down security features, creating holes, including a backdoor through which a remote user could access the system. Interestingly, the worm avoided all email addresses with @hotmail or @msn extensions.44. Blaster Believed Origin: ChinaYear: 2003The Blaster virus was an unabashed attempt to strike a blow against Microsoft and point out lapses in security. It targeted Windows XP and 2000 systems and used them to coordinate an attack on Windowsupdate.com that was intended to bring down the site. Embedded in the virus was the text: "Billy Gates why do you make this possible? Stop making money and fix your software!" An 18-year-old from Minnesota was arrested for the attack.43. Download.jectBelieved Origin: UnknownYear: 2004Download.ject was a piece of malicious code that was embedded into corporate websites in a coordinated mass attack on June 23, 2004. An organized cyber-crime gang is thought to be responsible. Those visiting the infected sites via Internet Explorer had malicious software downloaded to their computers. It was the first known case where users could become infected merely by viewing a web page.42. StonedBelieved Origin: New ZealandYear: 1987The Stoned virus was both a political statement and the first known boot sector virus, which affects the way a computer behaves at start-up. Those infected with the virus had a one-in-eight probablilty of seeing the following message at start-up: "You're computer is now Stoned!" The pro-cannabis hackers hailed from New Zealand and signed their program with two words: "Legalise Marijuana."41. Leap-ABelieved Origin: USAYear: 2006The Leap-A virus was the first modern virus to affect Mac computers running OS X, appearing at a time when many in Steve Jobs' army believed they were untouchable. Worse still, the virus spread via the beloved iChat program. Leap-A attempts to infect the four most recently used applications and prevent them from being able to launch.40. MichelangeloBelieved Origin: New ZealandYear: 1991Programmed to activate itself on the date of the Renaissance artist's birth (March 6), the Michelangelo virus affected DOS systems, overwriting large chunks of the infected computer's hard drive.39. Word ConceptBelieved Origin: USAYear: 1995One of the most prevalent viruses of the 1990s, the Word Concept was the first known of the macro viruses, which were distinguished by the unfortunate innovation of being embedded in the language of software applications (most commonly, those of Microsoft Office). Word Concept targeted the ubiquitous Microsoft Word, latching its malicious claws onto once harmless Word files.38. Sadmind WormBelieved Origin: ChinaYear: 2001The Sadmind worm worked its way onto Sun Microsystem's operating systems and enabled remote control of users' administrative functions. It infected one of the world's most popular servers and brought down or defaced over 8,000 websites.37. Barrotes VirusBelieved Origin: SpainYear: 1993This blunt instrument of a virus simply made it impossible for users to access their hard drive. Infected computers displayed a series of thick bars striping across the screen, a cruel allusion to the fact that their data had been held captive.36. NetskyBelieved Origin: GermanyYear: 2004One of the products of 18-year-old German hacker Sven Jaschan, Netsky became one of the most common worms spread via email in the world. It is believed to have been part of a cyber war with the authors of the worms Bagle and Mydoom, containing insults in its code and even removing them from systems where applicable. It also caused annoying beeping noises at random times of day—you know, for kicks.35. Laroux Believed Origin: UnknownYear: 2002Laroux is a macro virus that infects Excel spreadsheets. It's also your next excuse for a missed deadline.34. Commwarrior-ABelieved Origin: RussiaYear: 2005The world's first cellphone virus, Commwarrior-A spread via text message and sent cellphone users (which is to say, everyone) into a panic. While it is only believed to have infected 60 phones in the end, Commwarrior-A was enough to instill widespread fear that mobile devices would be the new frontier in virus warfare.33. Stages Believed Origin: UnknownYear: 2000Stages spread via email, disguised as a joke about the stages of life—the kind of thing you might get from your aunt or a co-worker. It was embedded in a fake .txt file (the first of this kind), making it that much more likely to be opened.32. Stration Believed Origin: UnknownYear: 1996The Stration worm made a name for itself by being one of the fastest-mutating in history, with different strains being created every 30 minutes at its peak. The proliferation of these variations made it extraordinarily difficult for antivirus software to keep up, allowing Stration to become the most widely distributed piece of malware on the web by the time it was brought to heel.31. Tristate Believed Origin: UnknownYear: 1999This macro virus was the first to be able to infect multiple programs. It's named Tristate because it targeted files from the big three Microsoft Office applications: Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Creating one supervirus to bring down a monopoly? Fire with fire.30. BugbearBelieved Origin: UnknownYear: 2002The Bugbear worm was a major pest for the antivirus coalition, as it used several different methods of infection. The worm was not only complex, but insidious: It enabled total control of infected computers from remote locations. It was also capable of storing passwords and credit card numbers and then sending them to a set of predetermined email addresses. Bugbear was one of the most prevalent viruses of its time, infecting 22,000 computers across 100 countries in one day at its peak.29. SirCamBelieved Origin: USAYear: 2001SirCam was an unwelcome addition to unwelcome email, proliferating via attachments to spam. The worm had an unusual method of infection, selecting a random .doc or .xls file from the host computer for passing itself along to the next victim in line. It spread wildly and became the most common worm up to that time.28. Jerusalem Believed Origin: IsraelYear: 1987Discovered at Jerusalem University, the Jerusalem virus was one the first international outbreaks. The virus was particularly damaging and thoroughly virulent, due to its attempts to infect every executable file on the host system. Computers infected with Jerusalem could slow down to one-fifth of their normal speed. It is considered a forerunner to an infamous strain of viruses that would later come out of Bulgaria, including Dark Avenger.27. Bubble BoyBelieved Origin: USAYear: 1999Yet another nightmare realized, Bubble Boy was the first email worm that didn't require an attachment to be opened—merely viewing the email was enough to cause infection.26. TequilaBelieved Origin: UnknownYear: 1991Tequila was the first polymorphic virus. It changed its appearance every time it infected a new host, making it exceptionally difficult to detect and contain.25. BadTrans Believed Origin: Unknown Year: 2001 One of the most prolific computer viruses of its era, the BadTrans worm was part of an emerging strain of economic-minded malware. The worm was designed specifically to obtain credit card information and passwords, which it did by secretly logging keystrokes and sending them to remote email addresses.24. Solar Sunrise Believed Origin: USA Year: 1998 Created by two teenagers in California, the Solar Sunrise virus caused a stir by spreading through computer systems that belonged to NASA and the Pentagon. The administration was so freaked out by the events that briefings reportedly went all the way up to the president. The name Solar Sunrise is a code name given by the Pentagon, which believed the attack represented the dawn of a new international threat.23. Morris Internet Worm Believed Origin: USA Year: 1988 Morris is considered the first worm, and it heralded the dangers of the nascent Internet. It paralyzed the computers it infected—the highest-profile victim was at NASA. Morris caused a firestorm by infecting an unprecedented 6,000 computers and causing up to $100 million in damage.22. Anna Kournikova Believed Origin: Holland Year: 2001 The Anna Kournikova worm traded on the popularity of its red-hot namesake, promising a photo of the tennis star in an attached jpeg. Once opened, the worm spread itself to everyone in the host's address book. The worm's popularity led to a number of copycats, including those named after Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears.21. Zombie Believed Origin: China Year: 2010 A cellphone virus that continuously sends out text messages once it gets inside your phone, Zombie quickly became the scourge of its native China. Posing as an antivirus app, the virus infected a reported 1 million cellphones and caused millions of dollars in damage. The spam texts it spreads include links that generate cash for the hackers by attracting clicks.20. Dark Avenger Believed Origin: Bulgaria Year: 1989 The most prominent of a notorious strain of viruses that came out of Bulgaria in the late '80s, the Dark Avenger caused the first major international media scare. The virus drowned MS-DOS operating systems in useless code, causing them to crash. It included the cryptic message "Eddie lives...somewhere in time."19. Bandook Believed Origin: Unknown Year: 2005 Bandook is a backdoor Trojan horse that affects Windows 2000, XP, 2003, and Vista. It bypasses Windows firewalls and gives a remote user access to your Internet connection. It is similar in behavior to its cousin, the Beast Trojan.18. Beast Trojan Believed Origin: Delphi Year: 2002 This Windows-based worm gave the attacker complete control over the infected computer, including access to all files with the ability to upload, download, execute, or delete.17. Benjamin Believed Origin: USA Year: 2002 Benjamin infected computers via the file-sharing program Kazaa. The virus posed as popular songs in order to trick users into downloading it. Once onboard, Benjamin blocked the host's Internet connection and filled up the hard drive.16. CIH aka Chernobyl Believed Origin: Taiwan Year: 1998 The Chernobyl virus caused up to $80 million in damage. It infected Windows 95, 98, and ME systems and could overwrite the hard drive and/or prevent boot-up. Its name comes from a coincidence: The virus struck on the same day as the infamous nuclear reactor explosion.15. Explorer.zip Believed Origin: USA Year: 1999 This worm caused painful damage by deleting Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. It also had a clever method of spreading itself throughout the Web: Explorer.zip searched email messages and automatically sent worm-appended replies to them using the original headline.14. SoBig Believed Origin: USA Year: 2003 SoBig plagued millions of Windows computers. It sent emails to the victim's contacts with headlines like "Re: Your Application" and "Thank You" and bodies of text that directed the recipient to "see attached for details," i.e. meet their doom. Once infected with SoBig, you became the spammer.13. Stuxnet Believed Origin: Iran Year: 2010 The Stuxnet worm caused a panic because of its apparent ability to make Iranian nuclear centrifuges go haywire. Cyber-security experts warned of a new arms race.12. Magistr Believed Origin: USA Year: 2001 The Magistr worm was potent and destructive. It overwrote infected hard drives and caused them to crash. Magistr was antivirus-resistant as well, blocking many common attempts at removal.11. Sasser Believed Origin: Germany Year: 2004 Created by Sven Jaschan of Netsky fame, Sasser was the teenage hacker's devastating magnum opus, causing an estimated $18 billion in damage. Mischief ensued via methods including, but not limited to, the shutting down of satellite communications of French news agencies and the cancellation of Delta Airlines flights.10. Mariposa Believed Origin: Spain Year: 2010 This botnet, or network of infected systems operating in concert, spread over 190 countries and 12.7 million computers. Police officials who brought down the ring, believed to have originated in Spain, say it was used to steal credit card numbers and bank information.9. Klez Believed Origin: Russia Year: 2002 Klez broke a record previously held by SirCam, becoming the most widespread worm to date. It behaved similarly, overwriting files by filling them with zeros. Additionally, Klez attempted to disable antivirus programs in order to keep itself alive.8. SQL Slammer Believed Origin: Britain Year: 2003 SQL Slammer targeted servers, bombing them with a small piece of code sent to random IP addresses. Servers plagued by the artificial traffic were either slowed down or brought to a halt. These included those of Bank of America, Continental Airlines, and the city of Seattle. The worm acted blazingly fast, spreading to 90 percent of all vulnerable systems (over 75,000 computers) in 10 minutes.7. Code Red Believed Origin: USA Year: 2001 Considered the most dangerous outbreak ever seen at the time, this worm made a name for itself by uniting infected computers in an attack against the White House website. It did not require an executed file to infect, and spread through hundreds of thousands of networks, mainly those belonging to corporations.6. Storm Believed Origin: Europe Year: 2007 The Storm worm struck up to 50 million computers. It hid as an attachment to an email titled "230 dead as storm batters Europe," although some variations on the theme existed, including one referencing an earthquake in China around the time of the Beijing Olympics. The worm was used for profit and neglected to cause abnormal behavior in host computers. Instead, it logged keystrokes and built a large database in order to sell the information. The worm was extremely elusive, relying on a code that could morph every 30 minutes. It was considered the future of malware, turning victims into portals for spam.5. Mydoom Believed Origin: Russia Year: 2004 Mydoom was the fastest-spreading worm the Internet had ever seen. It was commissioned by email spammers in order to spread junk email, containing the following message: "Andy, I'm just doing my job. Nothing personal, sorry." The worm allowed remote control of the host system. Some strains attacked particular websites, including those of Microsoft and the SCO Group. It is also believed to have spread via Kazaa.4. Nimda Believed Origin: Unknown Year: 2001 The Nimda virus is one of the most complex in history, boasting five different methods of replication. Once onboard a computer, it created an administrative account and overwrote hard-drive and network data. It infected both PCs and servers and did not require the host to open or execute a file.3. Melissa Believed Origin: USA Year: 1999 The most prolific of all macro viruses, Melissa, named after an exotic dancer from Florida, infiltrated documents created by Word, Excel, and Outlook. One of the first viruses to spread via email—and by far the most far-reaching—Melissa infected over 1 million computers in North America and was responsible for making the entire world wary of the email attachment. It plagued corporate and government-agency networks and announced both a new era of viruses and a new industry dedicated to battling them.2. I LOVE YOU Believed Origin: USA Year: 2000 At the dawn of a paranoid new decade, I LOVE YOU infected millions of computers in one night. The virus downloaded a Trojan horse that went looking for passwords and usernames, overwriting and moving files for good measure. Created by a Filipino student, it spread via email with the cruel subject line "I Love You." By the time it had run its course, the virus caused an estimated $10 billion in damage. Its sensational methods made "I LOVE YOU" the subject of theses and gallery shows around the country.1. Conficker Believed Origin: Europe Year: 2009 Spreading to over 200 countries and tens of millions of computers and servers, Conficker is the most virulent worm of all time. It combines several malware techniques and is also part-virus and part-Trojan. The worm attempts to block system updates and attacks anti-malware programs. Conficker has been particularly devastating in Europe, striking the U.K. Ministry of Defense, the French Navy, and the Norwegian police. Several variants of the worm were created in order to keep it one step ahead of attempts to wipe it out. It remains the most ruthlessly effective malware program of the modern era. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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