This is a list of noteworthy computer viruses and worms.
2004
- early May: the Sasser worm emerges and causes problems in networks, even interrupting business in some cases.
- March 19: Witty was the fastest produced worm to date, with a one day window from advisory to release.
- late January: MyDoom emerges, and currently holds the record for the fastest-spreading mass mailer worm. It is designed to attack the websites of Microsoft and the SCO Group with a distributed denial of service attack, while enabling remote control of the infected PC.
2003
- late August: Two major worms named the Sobig worm and the Blaster worm begin to attack millions of Microsoft Windows computers, resulting in the largest down-time and clean-up cost ever. The worms have also had political consequences as many companies in several countries start to call for government action to prevent further damages from Windows worms.
- January 24: The SQL slammer worm attacking Microsoft SQL Server causes widespread problems on the Internet.
2001
2000
- May: The VBS/Loveletter worm, also known as the "I love you" virus appeared. As of 2004, this was the most costly virus to business, causing upwards of 10 billion dollars in damage.
1999
1998
1988
- November 2: The Morris worm infects DEC VAX machines connected to the Internet, and becomes the first worm to spread extensively "in the wild".
1987
1982
- A program called Elk Cloner, written for Apple II systems, is credited with being the first computer virus to appear "in the wild"—that is, outside the single computer or lab where it was created.
See also
