Whisper The News

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In our hyper-connected world, the battle between hackers and defenders unfolds every day—often behind the screens we depend on for work, communication, and life’s essentials. At the heart of this struggle are computer viruses: once the stuff of science fiction, now an ever-present threat that lurks in emails, downloads, and even the devices we carry in our pockets. The story of these digital troublemakers is as much about human ingenuity as it is about malice and mischief.

From their humble beginnings as early experiments in self-replication, computer viruses have become both a playground for creative minds and a battlefield fraught with risk. 

As the decades rolled on, viruses evolved in step with technology, shifting from harmless pranks to tools of sabotage, theft, and large-scale cybercrime.

Today, nearly every device we own faces the invisible threat of these rapidly mutating programs. The cybersecurity professionals who stand guard aren’t just battling lines of code—they are racing against resourceful opponents who adapt as fast as digital defenses can evolve. This article takes you on a journey through the fascinating and sometimes dramatic history of computer viruses, exploring how they’ve changed and what their ongoing evolution can teach us about staying safe in an increasingly digital world.

Below, you can find how Viruses started and evolved:

• 1966: Theoretical Malware
  While the earliest modern computers were under construction, mathematician and Manhattan Project participant John von Neumann was formulating the notion of a self-replicating program capable of propagating itself across a system. His posthumously published 1966 work, ”Theory of Self-Reproducing Automata”, laid the theoretical ground-work for what would later become known as computer viruses.

• 1971: Creeper worm
  Just five years after John von Neumann’s influential theories were published, programmer Bob Thomas developed an experimental program named Creeper, which was designed to travel between computers on the ARPANET—the early forerunner to today’s Internet. Ray Tomlinson, widely recognized as the creator of email, later enhanced Creeper so that it could not only move between systems but also replicate itself, effectively giving rise to the first computer worm. While Creeper marks the earliest known instance of a worm, it was not malicious software. Intended as a demonstration, Creeper was created without harmful intent and did not cause any damage or disruption to the systems it reached. Instead, it simply displayed a playful message: “I’M THE CREEPER: CATCH ME IF YOU CAN”.

• 1982: Elk Cloner Virus
  Developed in 1982 by fifteen-year-old Rich Skrenta, the Elk Cloner program was initially conceived as a playful experiment rather than a malicious attack. As an active member of his high school’s computer club, Skrenta had gained a reputation for modifying games and software shared among peers—so much so that many club members became wary of accepting disks from him. Seeking a way to alter software on disks he could not physically access, Skrenta devised what is now recognized as the first computer virus for Apple systems.

• 1986: Brain Virus
  Developed by Pakistani brothers Amjad and Basit Farooq Alvi, who were medical soft- ware distributors, Brain is widely regarded as the first virus created for the IBM Personal Computer. Initially, the brothers designed Brain to deter copyright infringement by preventing users from running unauthorized copies of their software. When activated, Brain would display a message urging those who pirated the software to contact the Alvi brothers in order to obtain a “vaccination”.
  Unaware of the global scale of software piracy, the brothers were surprised to receive their first call from the United States—soon followed by numerous inquiries from around the world. Brain thus became not only a pioneering example of computer viruses but also a revealing commentary on the widespread issue of software piracy.

• 1988: Morris Worm
  The Morris worm stands as another early example of malware, originally developed not with harmful intent but as a proof-of-concept. However, MIT student Robert Morris, its creator, underestimated its capabilities. During that period, the internet was accessible to only about 60,000 computers—primarily at universities and within military networks. The worm, designed to exploit a backdoor in Unix systems and remain concealed, propagated rapidly, repeatedly duplicating itself and ultimately infecting approximately 10% of all connected computers.
  By repeatedly copying itself across and within computers, the worm consumed memory and crashed many PCs. As the first major internet Cyberattack, it caused millions in damages. Its creator, Robert Morris, became the first person convicted of Cyber fraud in the United States.

• 1999: Melissa Worm
  Although less destructive than the Morris worm, Melissa — emerging about a decade later — demonstrated the rapid spread of malware via email, infecting approximately one million email accounts and over 100,000 workplace computers. As the fastest-spreading worm of its era, Melissa severely overloaded Microsoft Outlook and Exchange servers, causing slowdowns at more than 300 corporations and government agencies. Among those affected were Microsoft, the Pentagon’s Computer Emergency Response Team, and about 250 other organizations.

• 2000: ”ILOVEYOU” Virus
  As necessity often drives innovation, 24-year-old Philippines resident Onel de Guzman created a macro virus worm to steal passwords when he could not afford dial-up internet service. This resulted in ”ILOVEYOU”, the first major instance of outright malware.
  The attack exemplified early social engineering and phishing, as de Guzman exploited human curiosity by disguising malicious email attachments as love letters. “I realized that many people want a boyfriend, they want to be loved,” de Guzman later explained. Upon infection, the worm not only stole passwords but also deleted files, resulting in millions of dollars in damages and even briefly disrupting the United Kingdom’s Parliament by shutting down its computer system.

• 2004: ”Mydoom” Worm
  Like ”ILOVEYOU”, the ”Mydoom” worm also relied on email to replicate and spread globally. After infecting a system, ”Mydoom” would commandeer the victim’s computer to send out further copies of itself. Strikingly, at its peak, Mydoom-generated spam made up a staggering 25% of all emails worldwide, a record that remains unbroken— and ultimately caused an estimated $35 billion in damages.
  Beyond exploiting email to infect countless systems, ”Mydoom” also turned compromised computers into a botnet, which was used to launch distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. Even with its massive impact, the perpetrators behind ”Mydoom” have never been identified or apprehended.
  When adjusted for inflation, ”Mydoom” still stands as the most financially damaging malware in history.

• 2007: Zeus Virus
  Discovered in 2007, Zeus spread to personal computers through phishing and drive-by downloads, highlighting the significant threat posed by a trojan capable of delivering various forms of malicious software.
  In 2011, the source code and instruction manual for Zeus were leaked, offering important insights to Cybersecurity experts, but also arming other hackers with valuable information.

• 2010: Stuxnet
  In 2010, the Stuxnet worm was identified on an Iranian computer system, astonishing experts with its advanced design and exploitation of four previously unknown (zero-day) vulnerabilities. Investigators later determined that Stuxnet was not intended for espionage, but rather to physically damage centrifuges at Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility.
  It is believed that the worm infiltrated the Natanz plant’s isolated network via a compromised USB drive, bypassing typical security measures. This incident demonstrated that malware could be engineered to target and disrupt specific industrial machinery with remarkable precision. Additionally, the attack exposed new zero-day vulnerabilities and highlighted the risk of stolen driver certificates being exploited for malicious purposes.

• 2013: CryptoLocker Ransomware
  CryptoLocker stands as one of the earliest and most notable examples of ransomware, distinguished by its rapid spread and strong asymmetric encryption for its era. It was distributed via botnets compromised by the Zeus virus, systematically encrypting files on infected PCs prioritizing shared resources on networked computers, such as those in libraries or offices.
  To unlock the encrypted data, victims were demanded a ransom of two bitcoins (then valued at about $715). Fortunately, in 2014, the Department of Justice, in collaboration with international agencies, dismantled the botnet and provided free decryption for affected users. Despite this, CryptoLocker remains a persistent threat, as it continues to spread through standard phishing attacks.

• 2014: Emotet Trojan
  Called the “King of Malware” by Arne Schoenbohm, head of the German Office for Information Security, Emotet stands as a leading example of polymorphic malware—a type that poses significant challenges for security professionals attempting to eliminate it entirely.
  Polymorphic malware operates by subtly changing its code with each replication, resulting not in identical copies, but in new variants that are just as hazardous. In fact, these evolving trojans are even more dangerous, as their shifting code makes them far harder for anti-malware tools to detect and block.

• 2016: Mirai Botnet
  As computing technology advances, from desktops and laptops to mobile devices and countless networked gadgets, malware has evolved alongside it. The expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) has introduced a wide range of new vulnerabilities, particularly among smart devices. For example, the Mirai botnet, developed by college student Paras Jha, exploited weak security in IoT-enabled devices like CCTV cameras to amass a massive, remotely controlled network.
  Originally intended to launch DoS attacks on gaming servers, Mirai proved even more potent than its creator expected. When it targeted a major DNS provider, the botnet succeeded in cutting off large portions of the United States’ eastern seaboard from the internet for nearly a full day.

• 2017: Cyber Espionage
  While malware had already been a factor in Cyber warfare for years, 2017 marked a turning point for state-sponsored Cyberattacks and digital espionage, starting with the relatively modest ”Petya” ransomware. ”Petya”, though harmful, primarily spread via phishing and was not highly infectious until it was transformed into ”NotPetya”, a wiper worm disguised as ransomware that destroyed user data regardless of ransom payments.
  That same year, the ”WannaCry” ransomware worm also targeted prominent organizations across Europe, notably affecting Britain’s National Health Service.
  What linked these two attacks? Both exploited a Microsoft Windows vulnerability called Eternalblue, originally uncovered by the National Security Agency. Although Microsoft later found and patched the flaw, the company criticized the NSA for failing to disclose the vulnerability before hackers could weaponize it.

• 2019: Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS)
  Ransomware malware has experienced both surges and declines in activity. While the number of successful ransomware attacks may be falling, hackers are increasingly focusing on high-profile targets and inflicting greater harm. A particularly concerning development is the rise of Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS), a trend that has gained significant momentum.
  Available on the dark web marketplaces, RaaS offers a ready-made platform that allows professional hackers to carry out ransomware attacks for a fee. Unlike earlier malware operations, which required advanced technical expertise, RaaS enables virtually anyone with malicious intent and the financial means to launch damaging attacks.

• 2021: A State of Emergency
  The 2021 Colonial Pipeline attack stands out primarily for the gravity of its potential consequences. At the time, the Colonial Pipeline supplied 45% of the gasoline and jet fuel for the eastern United States. The attack, which lasted several days, disrupted both public and private sectors along the East Coast and led Former President Biden to issue a temporary state of emergency.

• 2022: A National Emergency
  While ransomware attacks may seem to be on the decline, highly focused and disruptive incidents remain a serious threat. In 2022, Costa Rica experienced a wave of ransomware attacks that first paralyzed the finance ministry and disrupted import/export businesses serving civilians. A subsequent attack knocked the national healthcare system offline, potentially impacting every citizen. This unprecedented crisis led Costa Rica to become the first country ever to declare a national state of emergency in response to a cyberattack.