Are you looking
to defend against computer viruses, or bolster your
overall network security for better cyber resilience
and protection?
The answer’s
probably “yes” - and even if it’s “no”, you may find that you change your mind
after reading about how expensive the most dangerous computer
viruses in history were to those affected by them.
Read
on below to learn about the biggest threats that ever existed in the world of I.T. services and personal computers, starting with…
1.
MyDoom (2004)
MyDoom was
released in the early 00s; long before most users had a computer
security system in the form of an antivirus or firewall. As a result,
millions of Windows users became affected and 25% of all e-mails sent in 2004 contained the virus.
What truly made
MyDoom lethal was that it allowed hackers to access infected computers, causing
massive I.T. security issues. This made it one of the
most dangerous computer viruses ever - and resulted in $38 billion in damages worldwide.
It might be
tempting to write these losses off as a product of a time when there was little
protection against I.T. security threats… But bear in
mind that the next virus on our list, despite coming out even earlier,
only did around half the damage!
2. ILOVEYOU
(2000)
Despite its cute
name, ILOVEYOU made technology news for all the wrong
reasons. It infected around 500,000 computers in 2000, when the internet had
far fewer users… And caused damages worth $15 billion, becoming one of the most
expensive network security threats in history.
What made ILOVEYOU
particularly dangerous was that it didn’t simply rely on technology
to spread. Instead, it used basic psychology to persuade users to open an
infected file.
Specifically, the
virus would send itself to an infected users’ entire contact list via an attachment
called “LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU”. A file like this from a trusted individual was
enough for internet users to double-click immediately, resulting in the fast
spread of ILOVEYOU.
Unfortunately,
not everyone developed an I.T. security strategy after
this experience - and I.T. news saw another major
threat the very next year, in the form of…
3. Code Red
(2001)
Discovered by an I.T. security consultant enjoying a Code Red Mountain Dew,
this worm attacked Microsoft IIS web server installations.
With a tiny size
of 3,569, it relied purely on Random Access Memory to spread and didn’t require
much hard drive space, which allowed it to bypass most contemporary data security measures, and resulted in tens of thousands of
servers crashing.
The scale of Code
Red may have been somewhat smaller than those of the previous two entries.
Nevertheless, this was one of the most dangerous computer
viruses of the 00s because it affected web servers, which were expensive
and difficult to fix back in 2001.
4. Stuxnet
(2009-2010)
Stuxnet
is one of the worst computer viruses in I.T. history.
It’s almost completely unique in that it attacked real-life objects as opposed
to virtual property.
Specifically,
Stuxnet targeted Iran’s uranium enrichment equipment in Natanz, ostensibly
causing most of Iran’s centrifuges to self-destruct.
This
makes Stuxnet one of the most expensive I.T. security risks
ever, and we can only hope that the hackers behind it don’t figure out a way to
do the same to other physical objects in the future.
5. Conficker
(2008)
With $9.1 billion in damages caused, Conficker is one of the most expensive computer viruses of the last decade. It’s
also one of the most widespread and persistent - and the worst part is that
unlike regular viruses, Conficker is a “trojan” that gives hackers remote
access to infected computers.
Even though
Conficker came out at a time when I.T. security products were widespread, and
tech news let us know of the threat, up to 15 million computers were affected.
As the old saying
goes, “defence is the best offence” - and with viruses like Conficker, the best
thing you can do is have an I.T. security strategy
that prevents infection in the first place.
6. Melissa (1999)
Melissa was the
first virus that mailed itself to users’ contact lists. Since it came out at a
time when information security standards were lax, and
most people didn’t know how to protect from computer viruses,
it spread quickly and easily.
The positive news
is that, by computer virus standards, Melissa was fairly benign. It “only”
resulted in 80 million dollars worth of damages, making it one of the less pricey cases
in the history of computer viruses.
7. Zeus (2009)
Unlike past computer viruses, Zeus was so sophisticated it made
infected Windows computers engage in criminal tasks.
It was also made
with the express goal of generating a profit, and resulted in the criminals who
made it getting up to $70 million dollars.
Large companies
like Amazon, Oracle, Bank of America and others were affected, despite powerful
security computer services, which shows you just how
dangerous a virus could be in the past…
Even for
companies equipped with the best information security
services.
—-
As you can see
from the examples above, I.T. security compliance
can’t be underestimated.
Even large
conglomerates and advanced internet users can fall victim to a virus. Make sure
to always stay up to date with regular I.T. security audits
and refer to information security companies to prevent and reverse I.T. threats
fast.
Do you want your
network and devices to be safe from various online threats? For more
information on IT security call 1300 530 609 today!
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