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This timeline of computer viruses and worms presents a chronological timeline of noteworthy computer viruses, computer worms, Trojan horses, similar malware, related research and events.
Antivirus software, also known as anti-malware, is a computer program used to prevent, detect, and remove malware.
Blaster was a computer worm that spread on computers running operating systems Windows XP and Windows 2000 during August 2003.
Linux malware includes viruses, Trojans, worms and other types of malware that affect the Linux family of operating systems. Linux, Unix and other Unix-like computer operating systems are generally regarded as very well-protected against, but not immune to, computer viruses.
Bagle was a mass-mailing computer worm affecting Microsoft Windows. The first strain, Bagle.A, did not propagate widely. A second variant, Bagle.B, was considerably more virulent.
Ada is a computer virus that can affect any of the DOS operating systems. Ada was first discovered in 1991.
PGPCoder or GPCode is a trojan that encrypts files on the infected computer and then asks for a ransom in order to release these files, a type of behavior dubbed ransomware or cryptovirology.
The Michelangelo virus is a computer virus first discovered on 3 February 1991 in Australia. The virus was designed to infect DOS systems, but did not engage the operating system or make any OS calls. Michelangelo, like all boot sector viruses, operated at the BIOS level. Each year, the virus remained dormant until March 6, the birthday of Renaissance artist Michelangelo. There is no reference to the artist in the virus, and it is doubtful that the virus's developer(s) intended a connection between the virus and the artist. The name was chosen in researchers who noticed the coincidence of the activation date. The actual significance of the date to the author is unknown. Michelangelo is a variant of the already endemic Stoned virus.
WinFixer was a family of scareware rogue security programs developed by Winsoftware which claimed to repair computer system problems on Microsoft Windows computers if a user purchased the full version of the software. The software was mainly installed without the user's consent. McAfee claimed that "the primary function of the free version appears to be to alarm the user into paying for registration, at least partially based on false or erroneous detections." The program prompted the user to purchase a paid copy of the program.
nVIR is an obsolete computer virus which can replicate on Macintosh computers running any System version from 4.1 to OS 8. The source code to the original nVIR has been made widely available, and so numerous variants have arisen. Each variant causes somewhat different symptoms, such as: application crashes, printing errors on laser printers, slow system response time, or unpredictable system crashes. nVIR spreads through any nVIR-infected program, but due to the long period of time nVIR lies basically dormant in a host system, nVIR generally finds its way into system backups and is not detected until the first overt symptoms appear. For example, if a disk used in an infected Macintosh is removed and inserted in a second Macintosh, the other machine will become infected if any application on that disk is executed in the second machine. Further, any method used to transfer programs between Macintoshes will spread nVIR, including file transfer over a network. However, nVIR cannot spread via a print network's hardware.
CTX is a computer virus created in Spain in 1999. CTX was initially discovered as part of the Cholera worm, with which the author intentionally infected with CTX. Although the Cholera worm had the capability to send itself via email, the CTX worm quickly surpassed it in prevalence. Cholera is now considered obsolete, while CTX remains in the field, albeit with only rare discoveries.
McAfee VirusScan is an antivirus software created and maintained by McAfee. Originally marketed as a standalone product, it has been bundled with McAfee LiveSafe, McAfee AntiVirus Plus, McAfee Total Protection and McAfee Gamer Security since 2010. McAfee LiveSafe is antivirus protection that defends against viruses, online threats, and ransomware with online and offline protection integrates antivirus, firewall and anti-spyware/anti-ransomware capabilities.
In 2006, British telecom company BSkyB started offering Sky Broadband customers a branded version of VirusScan for free upon broadband modem installation.
A computer virus hoax is a message warning the recipients of a non-existent computer virus threat. The message is usually a chain e-mail that tells the recipients to forward it to everyone they know, but it can also be in the form of a pop-up window.
4k is a computer virus which infects COM files and EXE files. The virus was one of the first file infectors to employ stealth tactics. Infected systems will hang, after September 22 every year, which is also the date of birth of Bilbo Baggins, a character from The Lord of the Rings. The code was intended to display the message Frodo Lives, but hangs in all known variants.
Koobface is a network worm that attacks Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux platforms. This worm originally targeted users of networking websites like Facebook, Skype, Yahoo Messenger, and email websites such as GMail, Yahoo Mail, and AOL Mail. It also targets other networking websites, such as MySpace, Twitter, and it can infect other devices on the same local network. Technical support scammers also fraudulently claim to their intended victims that they have a Koobface infection on their computer by using fake popups and using built-in Windows programs.
Gumblar is a malicious JavaScript trojan horse file that redirects a user's Google searches, and then installs rogue security software. Also known as Troj/JSRedir-R this botnet first appeared in 2009.
Sality is the classification for a family of malicious software (malware), which infects Microsoft Windows systems files. Sality was first discovered in 2003 and has advanced to become a dynamic, enduring and full-featured form of malicious code. Systems infected with Sality may communicate over a peer-to-peer (P2P) network to form a botnet to relay spam, proxying of communications, exfiltrating sensitive data, compromising web servers and/or coordinating distributed computing tasks to process intensive tasks. Since 2010, certain variants of Sality have also incorporated rootkit functions as part of an ongoing evolution of the malware family. Because of its continued development and capabilities, Sality is considered one of the most complex and formidable forms of malware to date.
OSX.FlashBack, also known as the Flashback Trojan, Fakeflash, or Trojan BackDoor.Flashback, is a Trojan horse affecting personal computer systems running Mac OS X. The first variant of Flashback was discovered by antivirus company Intego in September 2011.
ANTI is a computer virus affecting Apple Macintosh computers running classic Mac OS versions up to System 6. It was the first Macintosh virus not to create additional resources within infected files; instead, it patches existing CODE resources.
Trojan.Win32.DNSChanger is a backdoor trojan that redirects users to various malicious websites through the means of altering the DNS settings of a victim's computer. The malware strain was first discovered by Microsoft Malware Protection Center on December 7, 2006 and later detected by McAfee Labs on April 19, 2009.
References
- 1 2 "MacOS.Sevendust". Archived from the original on August 8, 2002.
- 1 2 "MacOS/SevenDust Virus Profile & Definition McAfee Inc".
- ↑ "Detailed Analysis - Mac/Sevendust-A - Viruses and Spyware - Advanced Network Threat Protection ATP from Targeted Malware Attacks and Persistent Threats sophos.com - Threat Center" . Retrieved 23 February 2017.
