Top Five Worst Viruses And How To Protect Your Computer Against Them

Trying to pick out the worst five computer viruses is much like giving a person a choice of execution methods: firing squad, hanging, electrocution, gas chamber…all are hideous. But let’s talk about a few of the most well known offenders.

The Sasser and Netsky works were created by an 18 year old named Sven Jaschan, a native of Waffensen, Germany. Jaschan was a member of what was called the Skynet Gang, a group of hackers who enjoyed writing these works, which authorities say delivered a crushing blow to corporate networks and internet users around the world. Police said that the Skynet Gang delivered the most significant virus attacks in 2004. Other worms that have caused great harm are the FunLove and SirCam worms, which arrive in a person’s email box and can send themselves to different users in a computer’s address book. Another notorious worm was CodeRed, which jumped from one computer to another.

Worms and viruses have caused so much Internet traffic when replicating themselves that the entire Internet has slowed down, bogged down and almost ground to a halt. Trying to protect your computer? The first step is always a good anti virus program. You may well have received a trial copy of one of the better anti virus programs when you purchased your computer. Among the good programs to use are McAfee’s Viruscan and Virex, Symantec’s Norton AntiVirus, Trend Micro’s PC-cillin, and AVG. After installing your anti virus software the next step is to keep it up to date. An out of date anti virus program can be even more dangerous to you than not having a virus program at all. The false sense of security provided by the old, out of date program can lead to unwarranted confidence. Keep your software updated often.

Remember that it wasn’t that long ago that millions of computer users checked their email one morning and found their inbox filled with notes, bearing the subject line the inscription “I love you.� This was the I Love You virus, also known as the Love Bug, a dastardly and fiendish program that preyed on human nature by disguising itself as a love note, with an email attachment. People were not use to viruses when the Love Bug came out. Most people would open email attachments at will, with no regard for safety. It was the computer equivalent of the 1970’s, before the AIDS crisis made people aware of the need for safe sex. The Love Bug worked its way around the world, attacking Disney World, attacking the Pentagon, attacking major corporations and government networks, and messing with literally millions of computer users. The world was never the same again.

The Love Bug and other worms point out another method of protecting yourself against these threats. In addition to the use of anti virus software, common sense may be the best weapon. If you receive an email with an attachment, don’t open the attachment. Only open attachments that you are expecting, arriving from people you know and trust.

One question that most people have when it comes to viruses and worms is this: why do people create them? What kind of social outcast would spend his time, and expend his mental energy to create a computer virus that has as its purpose destruction of other people’s computes, costing them time and money and endless frustration. What kind of person would do that?

Authorities believe that hackers who create computer viruses are usually above average in intelligence, but socially disaffected. They are the same personalities who often abuse drugs and a few years ago would have been out getting into trouble and being chased by the police. In the modern age they can sit at home on a computer causing more grief that would be possible in the real world in person. Many hackers write the viruses and then post them on web sites for others to pick up and use, much like a rogue state buying guns for a terrorist organization. But as the world’s police organizations become more sophisticated, more and more of these cyber terrorists are being caught and punished. In the meantime, take all steps possible to keep your computer safe from cyber attack.