Over the years, as technology has gradually become more prevalent, everything related to security and attacks has also become extremely important. In fact, the different malicious codes we face are increasingly more dangerous and complex.
At the same time, companies, especially those in charge of protecting our equipment and software, have also evolved significantly. But even so, it sometimes seems that malicious actors are one step ahead by launching malware that manages to bypass all these security and protection measures.
Of the huge number of different types and forms of malware that we have faced in recent decades, there are undoubtedly some that have marked an era. This is precisely one of the main reasons why we are going to talk about the 10 most dangerous viruses that have ever existed in the history of technology.
There are currently thousands of these malicious elements that can affect our equipment and stored data in one way or another. There are different formats and modes of behavior, some more intrusive than others.
The most malicious and dangerous viruses ever
There is no doubt that to date we have encountered some of these malicious codes that are really harmful and dangerous, and that have even affected millions of people.
ILOVEYOU. Here we find one of the most well-known and malicious worms of all time. It spread in mid-2000 and was a worm that arrived by email. Once executed, it overwrote system files and replicated itself in the addresses in the address book.
MyDoom. First seen in 2004, it spread via email attachments. Much of its danger came from being one of the fastest-spreading computer viruses that allowed hackers to launch DDoS attacks. It even affected companies like Google.
Code Red. This malware was also widespread in mid-2001 and was designed to attack systems using Microsoft’s IIS web server. It is worth mentioning that at the time it caused billions of dollars in damage and affected data stored on hard drives.
Sasser and Netsky. A German teenager, Sven Jaschan, created this Sasser virus in 2004, along with another virus, Netsky. It spread through emails and tricked people into using it as a security solution for the Sasser virus. Both codes caused millions of dollars in damage.
Slammer. This is a virus that was discovered in 2003 and affected servers that used SQL Server 2003 software. Thanks to this malicious code, some of the most famous DDoS attacks were carried out, which even affected bank ATMs.
CryptoLocker. Here we find one of the most well-known types of malware that infected Windows computers and blocked access back in 2013. One of the great secrets of its success came from the enormous expansion it experienced and managed to extort around 3 million dollars.
Anna Kournikova Virus. This is a malicious code created by a Dutch student in 2001 to trick people. Its name comes from the fact that it used an email attachment with the same name as bait to trick people into opening it, but it hid a malicious program.
Conficker. Also known as Kido, this is a virus that appeared in 2008. It attacked Windows-based computers and was seen on over 15 million PCs.
Stuxnet. This other virus was discovered in 2010 and exploited Zero Day flaws to collect data from industrial systems.
Storm. This is a phishing worm that became famous in 2007 and spread through email messages. At that time, it was responsible for around 8% of all infections worldwide.
