The history of viruses and the first anti-virus software.
The history of viruses and the first anti-virus software.
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of other organisms. The term is often used more generally to refer to a wide variety of malicious code.
The first known virus, named “The Creeper,” was identified on ARPANET, the forerunner of the Internet, in the early 1970s. The Creeper was not technically a virus, as it did not replicate itself, but it did spread from system to system and caused havoc by displaying the message “I’m the creeper, catch me if you can!”
A true virus was identified soon afterwards, also on ARPANET. Named “Elk Cloner,” this virus infected Apple II computers and spread via floppy disk.
The first anti-virus software was created in response to the Elk Cloner virus. Called “The Brain,” this software was written by a Pakistani programmer named Basit Farooq Alvi and his brother, Amjad.
The Brain was a commercial success, and the Alvi brothers went on to form the company Brain Computer Services, which is still in business today.
In the 1980s, as personal computers became more widespread, viruses began to spread more easily. The first major virus outbreak occurred in 1986, with the release of the “Brain” virus.
This virus infected IBM PC computers and spread via floppy disk. The virus was created by two brothers in Pakistan, who sold the infected disks for $189 each.
The Brain virus was followed by a number of other notable viruses, including the “Morris” worm, which caused an estimated $100 million in damage when it infected 10% of the computers connected to the Internet in 1988.
The 1990s saw the rise of “virus hoaxes,” false warnings about viruses that circulated via email and caused panic. One of the most famous hoaxes was the “Good Times” virus, which claimed to be a message from the Center for Disease Control and urged recipients to forward the message to everyone they knew.
The first years of the 21st century saw the release of a number of destructive viruses, including the “Love Bug” and the “Sobig” worm. In 2004, the MyDoom virus became the fastest-spreading email virus in history, infecting millions of computers.
The MyDoom virus was followed by the “Storm” worm, which used a sophisticated technique called “botnets” to create a network of infected computers that could be used to send out spam or launch attacks on websites.
The Storm worm was first detected in January 2007, and by the end of the year it had spread to more than 50 million computers.
In 2008, a new type of malware called “ransomware” began to spread. This type of malware encrypts a victim’s files and demands a ransom be paid in order to decrypt them.
One of the first ransomware programs was named “CryptoLocker,” and it spread via email attachments and infected more than 500,000 computers.
In 2013, the “CryptoLocker” ransomware was superseded by a more sophisticated program called “CryptoWall.” This newer ransomware program used more effective encryption and was more difficult to remove from an infected computer.
In 2014, a ransomware program called “Locky” began to spread, using the same techniques as CryptoWall.
In 2015, the “Dridex” malware began to spread, using malicious Word documents as a way to infect victims’ computers.
In 2016, the “Petya” ransomware began to spread, using a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows to encrypt victims’ hard drives.
In 2017, the “WannaCry” ransomware began to spread, using a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows to encrypt victims’ hard drives. This ransomware attack was particularly destructive, infecting more than 230,000 computers in 150 countries.
The WannaCry attack brought renewed attention to the problem of ransomware and led to calls for improved cyber security.
In 2018, the “Bad Rabbit” ransomware began to spread, using a fake Adobe Flash update as a way to infect victims’ computers.
In 2019, the “Ryuk” ransomware began to spread, using a variety of methods to infect victims’ computers.
The Ryuk ransomware has been particularly effective, and has been used in a number of high-profile attacks, including the 2018 attack on the City of Atlanta and the 2019 attack on the newspaper chain Tribune Publishing..Published here
The pros and cons of free and paid anti-virus programs.
There are many options available when it comes to choosing an antivirus program. Some are free while others are paid. So, what are the pros and cons of free and paid antivirus programs?
Paid antivirus programs usually offer more features than free versions. For instance, they may provide real-time protection against malware and spyware, automatic updates, and scheduled scans. They may also offer customer support and a money-back guarantee. However, paid antivirus programs can be quite expensive.
Free antivirus programs, on the other hand, are often more basic in terms of features. They may not offer real-time protection or automatic updates, for instance. However, they are often more than adequate for most users’ needs and are typically much more affordable than paid options.
So, which is the best option for you? It really depends on your specific needs and budget. If you can afford it, a paid antivirus program may be the best option. However, if you’re on a tight budget, a free program may be just as good.
Visit malwarezero.org to learn more about anti-virus. Disclaimer: We used this website as a reference for this blog post.