You've come to the right place if you're looking for fun computer virus facts. A few decades ago, the idea of a computer virus was a simple concept. It was more of a mythical notion than a real threat. The situation has changed over time.
Computer viruses, which are malicious software that is designed to interrupt workflows, steal information, and cause terror in today's world, can be found everywhere, from small businesses to large government agencies and corporations.
Computer viruses can be any software that is not listed in the above list. They are often created by anyone from students to the most wanted hackers. Each year they cause billions of dollars in economic damage.
Let's dig deep to discover fun computer virus facts. There's always more to discover, and the better you are, they say. Cybercrime is the creation and dissemination of online viruses. If you discover a computer connected to your network and used to attack you, beware. Cops may be looking for you.
Facts about computer viruses
Fact #1
Creeper Virus was the first computer virus. It was discovered on ARPANET in the 1970s, which was the precursor of the Internet. It was an experiment by Bob Thomas at BBN Technology in 1971 that created self-replicating software.
Fact #2
MyDoom, also known as W32.MyDoom@mm was the fastest-growing computer worm ever made. It was first discovered in 2004. The record for fastest spreading computer worms is still unbeaten as of 2017. It was found to have an impact on nearly 25% of all emails sent back in 2004. The most severe economic damage was caused by it, at USD 38.5 billion.
Fact #3
A typical virus writer is a male between 14 and 25 years old. Most virus writers are students and children who want to experiment and improve their programming skills. A virus author is a programmer who intentionally creates a virus program.
Fact #4
70% of professional hackers and virus authors work for or are affiliated with major companies. They are responsible for finding security holes and gaining access to the company's network. To improve security, other programmers fix these loopholes and security flaws.
Fact #5
A report by Microsoft Security Intelligence and Panda Security, along with Consumer Reports, shows that approximately 40% of US households have been affected by trojans or viruses in their computers. This is what we call a "real find for fun virus facts".
The statistics show that approximately 24 million US households are affected by spam and that more than 16 million US households have experienced serious virus issues in the last two years. This totals 40% of US households.
Fact #6
The United States is the country most at risk of being infected by computer viruses and worms, closely followed by Russia.
Computer virus writing isn't considered an illegal act in the US, which is ironic. Other countries have much stricter cyber crime laws than the US. Some other countries have cybercrime laws that are more stringent than the US.
Fact #7
Microsoft Research found that 1 out of 14 programs downloaded by Windows users contained a malicious component. Although all modern web browsers offer warnings to warn users about malicious content, almost 5% of users ignore them and continue to download the malware.
Fact #8
Hackers have found that hacking people is much easier than hacking their systems, due to increased security in browsers, computers, and on a hardware level. This is Social Engineering.
Users are served a link via email or Facebook that redirects them to a malicious application. Users ignore browser warnings because the link appears to be coming from a friend.
Fact #9
The Internet is now the main channel for spreading viruses. What was the Internet before it became mainstream? Many viruses could be spread via removable media such as CDs, DVDs, and, even earlier, floppy disks. This was possible because hackers could easily spread viruses by sharing programs and data on floppies.
Fact #10
Every month, approximately 6000 viruses are released into the wild. This should give an idea of the danger we face. However, security companies and anti-virus software are always on the lookout for new security measures and updating their databases so you can rest assured.
Conclusion - Computer virus, Fun Facts About Computers
Even with the advancements in heuristics, artificial intelligence, and a variety of other methods, anti-virus software cannot detect new viruses intelligently. This will one day be possible, and the virus menace will be eradicated once and for all.