[pics] Computer Invaders - 25 infamous viruses over the last 25 years

[Arthur]

To mark the 25th anniversary of the very first computer virus, F-Secure have created this cool infographic that explains and rates some of the most notable viruses the world has seen in the last 25 years. Click the image to see the full-size version.

 

Source: http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/archives/00002124.html

 

http://i.min.us/ijRH08.jpg

 

Via: http://mashable.com/2011/03/16/history-of-computer-viruses/

 

Computer viruses have been around for a long, long time — pretty much as long as personal computing and mainstream software development — and they’ve been making international news since the Internet graduated from a researcher’s toy to a tool for consumers.

 

If you’ve ever wondered what the first viruses were like and just how bad or dangerous they were, this infographic should be an interesting read for you. And the Space Invaders graphics will be easy on your nerdy eyes, too.

 

While the first virus in this brief history coincided with the birth of the 3.5-inch floppy disk, a lot of the malware we see these days relies on social media or mobile apps for transmission, adequate proof (as if any was needed) that with any innovation comes an opportunity for exploitation.

 

The twist these days is that more viruses are specifically targeted to steal personal data and make money for their creators, which was not necessarily a goal for many of the virus-writing hackers of the late 1980s and early 1990s. In fact, according to this data, the first money-making computer virus didn’t hit PCs until 2003. (Source)

[El_Nombre]

Bloody conficker...

 

Good find though!

[synaesthesia]

Heh @ the Sony rootkit. They never did get their wrists slapped properly for that did they ?