A computer virus is at best a mild inconvenience that requires time and money to solve, and at worst something that compromises your personal security and crashes your whole system. At either end of the spectrum it is clearly something that should be avoided at all costs.
The very first computer virus was the Creeper program, which was designed not to harm computers but to display a message. The second was the Reaper program which was designed specifically to delete the Creeper. The first virus to get into the wild and spread, was the Elk Cloner. It to was mostly harmless and meant as a prank at first. Most virus’ are not as harmless as these, and despite efforts on many levels to prevent them new viruses emerge often. There are a few that have stood out in the past few years as particularly bad and/or far reaching.
Viruses You Should Know About
- Sobig.F: This version of the Sobig virus has been dubbed the “fastest growing virus in history.” The thing about this virus is it will come from people who are seemingly trustworthy. It may be a co-worker or friend who sends the email for all you know. The attachment will be labeled things such as “thank you”, or “wicked screen saver”, things that they may actually send you. When the attachment is opened it sends the virus to all the people on your email list spreading itself across the internet through email attachments.
- Blaster: This virus is also in the form of a worm that is spread through Microsoft Windows XP and Windows 2000. It could be spread without the user actually opening an attachment. The 18-year-old creator was sentenced to 18 months in prison, despite the virus not being known for being particularly harmful because it was far reaching and the implications of a worm spread without the user opening an attachment is disturbing, even if it was isolated to one operating system.
- My Doom Virus: This virus has been dubbed the worst ever. It is a worm like Sobig, but shortly after it emerged it accounted for 20 percent to 30 percent of the email traffic in a single day. Slowing systems and spreading faster than anyone could have expected.
What Can You Do to Protect Yourself and Your Company?
- Do not open e-mails that look suspicious or from an unknown sender.
- Do not ever open an e-mail attachment unless it is from a sender you know and you are expecting it.
- Keep your anti-virus software up to date.
- Also keep in mind that if your computer is running very slowly, something is wrong. Chances are it is a virus of some sort and you should get it checked out by professionals for both increased security and speed.
At Data Magic Computer Services we offer IT services at the level you need. From full data management, to co-management, to consulting and development. Contact us today to increase your company’s security and prevent any of these viruses from effecting your business. If your personal or work computer is infiltrated by any virus we can help remove it and repair whatever weakness allowed it in to begin with.
