The history of malware includes computer viruses, worms, trojans, and ransomware

Different types of malware are categorized by how they spread or operate

Computer viruses require user interaction to execute a file and spread, whereas worms can self-replicate across systems without human intervention. Ransomware locks systems until a key is provided, spyware tracks and reports user activity to a third party, and trojans disguise various types of malware as legitimate software.

Malware has transitioned from notoriety-driven to profit- and data-driven

Many of the first researchers and hobbyists who created viruses and worms showed a natural curiosity in experimenting with and designing such software to make a name for themselves and advance the field of computer science. In the future, AI-augmented malware may adapt in real-time or design enhanced cryptojackers, infostealers, and ransomware for cybercriminals.

Explore the cost of major viruses and other malware incidents through 2017

The first significant malware was the Morris worm in 1988, which caused an estimated $10,000 to $10M in damage to computers. With $38B in damage caused, Mydoom is the most costly piece of malware in history. Spread via email and, at one point, accounting for about 25% of all messages sent worldwide, the malware infected computers to create a botnet that launched cyberattacks.

Many early computer viruses were not created for malicious purposes

Besides those authored in research labs as proofs of concept for self-replicating software, hobbyists would create malware that played music or displayed text and animations that intentionally revealed the infection as a means of showing off, rather than hiding their spread.

Creating malware requires more than knowledge of programming languages

Because computer viruses, worms, and other malicious software reside within a computer's operating system, which manages computer hardware and software, cybercriminals writing effective malicious code must understand how the OS manages input and output, permissions, memory, etc. Knowledge of credentials and network access also helps create malware that easily spreads.

Explore demonstrations of hundreds of viruses and other malware in action

On their YouTube channel, Malware historian Daniel White has documented what happens when various types of malware—mostly from the 1980s and 90s—run on a computer or Nokia cell phone. The demonstrations were safely conducted within virtual machines—older operating systems run within contained windows of modern software, resembling a picture-in-picture setup.

Safely explore historic viruses and other malicious software in the Malware Museum

Curated by the Internet Archive, this collection of more than 80 MS-DOS-era pieces of software can be experienced within an emulated environment to see what it would look like to trigger a virus on computers in the 1980s and 90s. Every piece of malware has a version available for download whose malicious capabilities have been removed.

Modern antivirus software searches for malicious behavior alongside malicious code

The first viral infections were identified by comparing the computer code of programs and files with a database of known virus codes, a method known as signature detection. The ongoing creation of new malware made databases continuously outdated, leading to the development of systems that detect patterns consistent with known viral activity.

The first computer virus was created by a USC doctoral candidate in 1983

A year after creating malware in a controlled experiment that multiplied until it took over all of a computer's memory, Fred Cohen went public with his research and its risks. He called the self-replicating software a "computer virus," a term Cohen's advisor, Leonard Adleman, coined to describe its infectious behavior. (Some readers may experience a paywall.)

Some viruses evade detection by altering their own code or hiding in Microsoft Office

Computer viruses are often classified by how they spread or which files they infect, with the oldest ones—boot sector viruses—targeting systems that are active when a computer is turned on. Macros—custom codes in office productivity programs authored to automate tasks—spawned their own class of viruses.

The Melissa 'virus' helped associate pornographic sites with computer viruses

A worm-embedded document posted online enticed users to download and open it by alleging to contain passwords to paywalled explicit websites. Upon opening, the worm shared itself with 50 addresses in a user's Outlook contacts, masquerading as a friendly attachment. Its rapid spread overwhelmed email servers and caused $1.1B in damage worldwide.

In 2019, a laptop loaded with six of the worst malware in history and described as 'an exhibit of historical weaponry' sold for $1.3M.

View a list of simple ways you can avoid catching a computer virus

Because this type of malware requires human intervention, such as plugging an infected flash drive into a computer or downloading and running an infected file, the chance of infection can be greatly reduced by being cautious about unfamiliar emails, attachments, and links. Keeping systems up to date with the latest security fixes is also crucial.

In 2019, a laptop loaded with six of the worst malware in history and described as 'an exhibit of historical weaponry' sold for $1.3M.

Computer viruses can slow systems by allocating resources to malicious actions

Once infected software is run, instructions in the malicious code within the program or file can copy the code to various locations, exacerbating the infection and producing additional symptoms, such as slow performance, altered login credentials, changes to device settings, and system crashes.

Elk Cloner, the first computer virus to spread in public, was written as a practical joke by Richard Skrenta, a Pittsburgh high school student.

Logic bomb viruses can awaken from a dormant phase without human input

Theoretically, computer viruses can remain idle indefinitely while awaiting specific user actions, as instructed by their code. However, logic bombs—embedded code that triggers when specific conditions are met—can automatically execute viruses, such as when a certain date or time is reached.

Visualizing the growth of botnets

Botnets are a network of computers that have been infected with a variant of malware that coordinates and leverages them for automated mass attacks such as data theft and crashing servers. This interactive map highlights where botnets have been located between 2014-2020.

A timeline of computer history

The earliest computers bear little resemblance to the computing devices that most people rely on today. This timeline graphic from the Computer History Museum tracks their evolution, from the early days of bulky mainframes that only experts generally used through to the personal computing revolution and on to the modern mobile era. Readers will learn important context ahead of the next major computing platform shift.

There are at least 6 fascinating examples of mind-controlling parasites

Parasitic organisms—including flatworms and barnacles, not just fungi—can modify animal behavior. They can give rise to dancing fish, pulsating snails, suicidal rats, and more. Though some of these pathogens can sicken humans, there is no strong evidence that any can control human behavior.

20 of the most common cyberattacks

While there are dozens of different types of cyber attacks, this article explains the top 20 most common network attack examples, including phishing, whale-phishing, and spear-phishing attacks. Learn how to best protect yourself.

Memes can influence politics and culture

Although internet memes are typically considered trivial and humorous, they're also powerfully persuasive political tools used to convey mainstream ideas.

'Creepypasta' is a meme that has its roots in folklore

The genre of crowdsourced, horror folklore comes from copypasta, a term that refers to snippets of content copy-and-pasted online ad nauseam. These memes' allure stems at least partly from how they seemingly rise from nowhere, with tales crafted by many hands over many iterations.

A joke about mercury in an elevator led to the invention of emoticons

A false message about mercury contamination was posted in response to a physics problem on Carnegie Mellon's discussion board in 1982, which some users took seriously. The need to indicate which messages were jokes led to the creation of facial expressions using special characters.

Memecoins are a type of cryptocurrency—a form of digital currency with a wide variety of uses—created around popular 'memes,' or viral internet jokes.

The history of curse words

While profane language is frowned upon in many circumstances, it remains an important part of human expression. This article explores the history of taboo words, and how they eventually creeped more into the mainstream. From 19th century Irish folk-saying “bejabbers,” to the dirty language in comedy routines by Lenny Bruce and George Carlin, discover a brief history of the swear words that have now become more prevalent in society.

Measles evolved from an ancient cattle disease as early as 3,000 years ago

Genetic analysis suggests that the closest modern relative of measles is a livestock virus known as rinderpest, with the viral strains diverging between 2,000 and 3,000 years ago. The timing coincided with the rise of major cities above 250,000 people, offering a novel transmission route for the newly mutated measles virus.

The history of torturing robots

When machines fail, its easy to get mad and even give them a good kick. But as humanoid robots become more sophisticated, the degree to which people abuse them has shifted, depending on how much emotion the robot expresses. Studies revealed when robots were programmed to cry during distress, participants felt empathy. Learn more about the history of human abuse of robots here.

English mathematician Ada Lovelace wrote the first computer algorithm a century before computers existed and hypothesized that computing devices would one day be able to compose music—foreseeing the generative AI systems of today.

Marburg virus, related to Ebola, is also extremely deadly, and has no available vaccine.

Radioactive elements can introduce software errors because the ionizing radiation they produce can detach electrons from atoms, and computer code relies on the distribution of electrons.

The history of many kitchen appliances involves unexpected discoveries and applications, including wartime radar turned hamster defroster and replacing an 'ice king' with heat-stealing boxes.

Hookworm infection, though risky, may help fight certain autoimmune conditions by tamping down the immune system's inflammatory response.

The first horror movie is believed to be George Méliès' 1986 short 'The Haunted Castle,' which pioneered the use of special effects

Graffiti dates back to at least ancient Pompeii, where citizens scrawled messages to one another on public walls

Visualize how CRISPR-Cas9—a type of immune system used by single-celled organisms to attack invasive viruses—targets and makes precise changes to a gene's DNA.

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Lesser-known phobias include turophobia, or the fear of cheese, and nomophobia, the fear of being without your cell phone.

Hear about the 250-year history of the United States Postal Service, complete with some of its strangest deliveries, important innovations, and the figures that made it an American institution.

The American cockroach is actually from Africa, an apparent hitchhiker aboard ships carrying enslaved people, with evidence suggesting the bug may have arrived in the New World as early as the 1600s.

Gerrymandering works through two techniques: cracking opposing voters across districts to dilute their power, and packing them into a few to waste their votes in lopsided majorities.

Roughly 43 million US borrowers owe roughly $1.7T in student debt, the second-largest source of consumer debt behind mortgages.

The first line of 'immortal' human cells, which can divide indefinitely and are used in scientific research, was nonconsensually taken from a Black woman.

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Some Pokémon have been named after real and fictional organisms, while some real-world species have been named after Pokémon, such as Chilicola charizard and Binburrum zapdos.

The Brothers Grimm were lawyers before they were storytellers, and became interested in fairy tales as they began investigating how rules and customs had been passed down through cultures.

Netflix profits when you're not watching, and its movies are designed that way—read a detail-rich critical essay exposing lesser-known Netflix takes

This site reaches millions of visitors who are tired of AI chatbots and seeking human connection. Pretend to be an AI chatbot and ask questions, provide answers, and draw for people in real time.

Watch how deep-sea mining equipment collects and processes polymetallic nodules—metal-rich, potato-shaped rocks—from the ocean floor and creates environmentally damaging plumes of sediments.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict is the largest ground war in Europe since World War II in casualties, forces mobilized, and displacement of civilians.