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About Us Latest News The 10 worst computer viruses
About Us Latest News The 10 worst computer viruses
| The 10 worst computer viruses |
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It has been 10 years since the Melissa virus brought computer networks around the world to their knees.
On Friday March 26 1999, this hugely destructive bug paralyzed e-mail systems with sheer weight of traffic as it reproduced and spread.
By the time the outbreak was brought under control, it was estimated that around $80 million of damage had been done.
Melissa was one of the most overwhelming viruses ever seen, but there were many viruses before it and many that have flourished since.
These digital nasties have been around since the 1970s, when ARPANET (the precursor to the modern internet) was hit by the Creeper virus.
However, it wasn't until 1983 that the name 'computer virus' was coined.
Computer security expert Frederick Cohen came up with the term, defining it as "a program that can 'infect' other programs by modifying them to include a possibly evolved copy of itself.”
Viruses were simple then and generally confined to research labs. But the virus has come a long way since and we now require a massive security industry to protect our computers from infection.
Source: http://tech.uk.msn.com
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