The internet has evolved to become the primary gateway of sharing knowledge for a better part of the world’s population. It not only enables us to connect with distant family members and friends, but also serves as a key revenue generation channel for countless businesses. Diminishing the glory of the virtual universe, viruses are always a concern for computer users. These malicious software programs not only steal information from files and folders, but also have a grave impact on the performance of the system. Today, we highlight five most dreaded viruses of all time, and their symptoms.
Conficker
Businesses that lost their data to “Conficker” in 2009 still remember the massive monetary loss it caused, when at its peak power. Due to its highly complex nature, a dedicated team of experts had to coalesce to create its antidote. The virus works to create a massive army of botnets-or computers-controlled by the same malicious program, and steals information from your computer. The real purpose behind its creation, however, is still a mystery.
Melissa
Sounds like a good name, right? Trust us, the virus isn’t. Merely hours after it was detected, the virus had infected thousands of computers, and still continues to be one of the most dangerous viruses ever. Also known as “Kwyjibo” or “Kwejeebo”; the macro virus comes in the form of an email attachment, often with the subject line: “Important Message”. Once downloaded to your system, it disables multiple safeguards in MS Word 97 and 2000.
Code Red
Code Red can destroy network servers and disrupt all communications via Microsoft Internet Information Server. The computer virus blocked various IP addresses in 2001, including the one in use at the White House. It affected around 2 million servers and cost 2 million dollars in damage. If your computer gets infected by a virus such as Code Red, it is strongly advisable to get in touch with a professional as soon as possible.
Zeus
Among the numerous malware inventions, Zeus is one of the most used and effective virus-weapons used by cyber criminals to steal personal information. It is a trojan horse malware kit that hackers use to pilfer passwords, credit card numbers, and other sensitive data from systems running Microsoft Windows. In 2009, Zeus attacked a number of banks and corporations, including Bank of America, Cisco, and Amazon.
I Love You
It wouldn’t be incorrect to call “I Love You” the first virus that exploited the strongest human emotion, “love”, to trouble computer systems. After all, who would have ever dreamt that opening an email attachment labeled as “I Love You” would unleash malware that would overwrite the image files on your computer? Not only this, the virus automatically emailed the first addresses in the Windows address book to cause a global pandemic.
The Bottom Line
As a computer user or a business that relies on computers, you would never like to part or compromise your vital information. While there are countless antivirus software solutions available in the market, not many work for every kind of virus, especially with new viruses emerging on a regular basis. Therefore, if your computer has been behaving erratically but your antivirus says “no virus found”, probably it’s time to hire a professional computer virus repair services provider.