Description: Short snippets about less-than-funny viral viruses and how impactful they were to users and the cyber world.
Viral Viruses – Sasser
On my viral viruses list is the Sasser virus, also known as the Sasser worm. Sasser, created in 2004 by German Sven Jaschan, who was a minor at the time and would later not be charged because of this, would cause up to $500 million in damages. The virus targeted Microsoft Windows and was given its name because it spreads by exploiting a buffer overflow in the component known as LSASS (Local Security Authority Subsystem Service) on the affected operating systems. One of the cooler parts about this virus was the fact that it didn’t require you to click on a malicious link or email, it could infect your computer anyway. Once a computer was infected, the virus would shut off the computer, spreading itself to other computers on the same network, causing problems like slowing down the internet and stopping trans-Atlantic flights from Delta Air Lines.
Viral Viruses – ILOVEYOU
The ILOVEYOU virus, also known as Love Bug, is a very well-known viral virus in the computer world as it had a viral effect on the world, spreading to millions of computers worldwide in 2000. The ILOVEYOU bug was one of the relatively harmless viruses that spread itself so wide, not causing nearly as much damage as the Mydoom virus (which I’ll talk about later). The virus’ purpose was to get people to click on the attached file in an email with the subject line “ILOVEYOU”, in which the virus would then hack their computer. It would randomly delete files and images, hide MP3s, and then copy itself into the person’s address book in Microsoft, a popular emailing software at the time, and send the same email to all of their contacts.
The virus had been spread quite quickly because of its sly tactic. Many folks thought the email was a love letter from a friend or colleague or a prank from a friend, so many clicked on the attached file without checking to see if it was safe, and let’s be honest, even with the cautiousness of modern users because of scams, this virus would still have a fairly easy time spreading itself to millions. While the bug itself is relatively harmless, aside from deleting files, the bug is a part of our viral viruses list because it costs the US $10-15 billion to remove. And to think, the virus was created by 24-year-old Onel de Guzman in the Philippines.
Viral Viruses – WannaCry
In 2017, the ransomware virus called WannaCry ripped through computers in 150 countries, taking the user’s computers (or cloud files) and holding them hostage. Once the virus had the user’s files locked up, it demanded payment in Bitcoins to unlock them. The virus spread quickly across networks, affecting hospitals, businesses, and government offices all over the world, amassing over $4 billion in damages. The malware tore its way through 200,000 computers worldwide and was only stopped when a 22-year-old security researcher in the U.K. found a way to turn it off. “Computers with out-of-date operating systems were hit especially hard,” writes HP Tech Takes. “That’s why security experts always recommend updating your systems frequently.”
Viral Viruses – Mydoom
The worst virus in history is the Mydoom virus, causing $38 billion in damages, $52.2 billion when adjusted to inflation costs. Also known as Novarg, this viral virus started its run in 2004 and quickly began to spread its infection. It mainly went after computers using Microsoft Windows, using their emailing system like the ILOVEYOU virus, and, at one point, the Mydoom virus was responsible for 25% of all emails sent. Once it got into the computer, Mydoom installed a backdoor that let hackers take control remotely and send out more copies to other email addresses.
But that’s not all. The Mydoom virus also caused chaos by launching denial-of-service attacks on certain websites, slowing internet service for many people, to shut down a target website or server. Mydoom is still around today, generating 1%, which equals approximately 34 million, of all phishing emails. This viral virus is just another case of why emails are the most common way for a hacker to try to break into your computer and why you should be vigilant in keeping your device up to date and use caution when clicking on any email.
