INFOGRAPHIC: 8 COMPUTER VIRUSES THAT BROUGHT THE INTERNET TO ITS KNEES

8 Computer Viruses That Brought the Internet to Its Knees
By KeriLynn Engel, Who Is Hosting This, 1 June 2015.

Since the very first computer virus spread like wildfire by infecting floppy disks, viruses have gone on to cause millions in damages across the globe.

The first computer virus, called the “Elk Cloner,” was created as a teenager’s harmless prank, displaying random messages to users and played subtle tricks when the infected floppy disk was booted.

But since then, many different types of viruses have been created. Some, like the Elk Cloner, can be annoying but harmless to your computer. Others can do actual damage and end up costing you money due to wasting computer resources, causing system failures, corrupting or deleting your data, or even stealing your private information.

It’s difficult to count the actual number of viruses in existence because everyone defines new viruses and categorizes them differently. Some estimates range from in the thousands, to the tens of millions, while others categorize all viruses to a couple dozen different types.

While many of these viruses can be easily defeated, others have gone rampant and cost millions of dollars in damage. The Klez virus, for example, stole confidential emails and spreads them around the web via mass emails, in some instances costing millions of dollars in damages due to jamming networks with mass emailing. In another famous instance, hackers used viruses to steal 40 million credit card numbers from Target, costing the company US$148 million dollars to recover.

Governments and big companies aren’t the only ones at risk. Your computer can be hacked by computer viruses as well, giving hackers access to your personal information, corrupting your data, wiping your hard drive, and even using your computer to spread the virus to your friends and family.

Here are the worst 8 computer viruses in history, the effects they had on their victims - and how you can keep yourself safe.

Infographic Sources:
1. 10 Worst Computer Viruses of All Time
2. Record or Run a Macro
3. Melissa Virus
4. ‘Melissa’ Mutates, Becomes Resistant to Patch
5. ‘Melissa’ Virus Swamps Corporate E-Mail
6. 10 Of The Most Costly Computer Viruses Of All Time
7. Top 10 Computer Viruses
8. ILOVEYOU Virus
9. ‘I Love You’ Virus Turns Ten: What Have We Learned?
10. U.S. Catches ‘Love’ Virus
11. CodeRed
12. Warning: Code Red Virus Returning
13. The Spread of the Code-Red Worm (CRv2)
14. Nimda - the Worm Finds New Tricks
15. Malware’s Destructive Appetite Grows
16. Viruses That Can Cost You
17. Nimda
18. Nimda Disables Florida Court Computers
19. What is the Slammer Worm/SQL Worm/Sapphire Worm?
20. MS SQL
21. Slammed!
22. Internet Worm Hits Airline, Banks
23. Sasser Worm Spreading Quickly
24. Worm Brings down Coastguard PCs
25. Sophos Press Releases
26. MyDoom.A: Fastest Spreading Virus in History
27. MyDoom Virus Declared Worst Ever
28. Mydoom
29. McAfee Names MyDoom ‘Exploit’ of the Decade
30. Conficker
31. Conficker Worm Update: How Does Conficker Spread?
32. The Conficker Worm: April Fool’s Joke or Unthinkable Disaster?
33. French Fighter Planes Grounded by Computer Virus
34. Conficker Left Manchester Unable to Issue Traffic Tickets
35. Conficker Infected Critical Hospital Equipment, Expert Says

Top image: Abstract picture of computer virus. Credit: Yuri Samoilov/Flickr.

[Source: Who Is Hosting This. Edited. Top image added.]