What is the latest computer virus

Prompted to click a link or run the attached program to solve the problem, the unsuspecting user falls victim to the Trojan attack. Being aware of the most harmful or notorious computer viruses impacting home users and businesses in provides the potential for minimizing risk and building defenses against them. Much like the viruses that used to distribute themselves via infected floppy disks remember those?

Once Cyborg takes over, users are presented with a notification that files are encrypted, and they will not be restored unless a ransom is paid. Unfortunately, decryption is often not provided — even if the ransom is paid. Once infected, the virus can be removed, but that does not restore access to the files.

Typically, the only recovery is removing the virus, then restoring files from recent backups. GoBrut is a virus that is one of the most recent computer viruses to be unleashed by hackers.

It is not terribly sophisticated in its technology but can wreak havoc just the same. Based on Golang, it uses brute force methodology to decipher passwords and gain access to Windows and Linux systems.

GoBrut can slow down internet access to infected machines. The real threat of this virus is the potential of discovering and leaking confidential information such as passwords, usernames, and more.

Jokeroo is a serious piece of malware in the form of ransomware that is offered on underground hacking sites for proliferation by other cyberthieves. It can be distributed through social media sites, including Twitter and others. It was more like a suite , and it included several programs that composed the global Zeus botnet. Zeuz arose from Eastern Europe and transferred money into secret bank accounts.

There was no single, lonely, poor programmer behind Zeuz. Instead, it had an entire organization supporting and profiting from it. In , more than members of the virus crime ring were arrested.

Zeuz is not as prominent at present, but it spawned a new generation of malware as other developers used pieces of the Zeuz code to integrate into their own, more recent, worms and viruses. Zeuz-related documented damage ascended to million USD. The costs in terms of lost productivity, morale, and undocumented theft must be several times higher.

If we estimate all that damage and adjust for inflation, Zeuz costs at least about 4 billion USD while active. Unfortunately, it left no trace in the hardware like files on a hard drive , which complicated the forensic analysis. Slammer would select an IP address at random and explore the security vulnerabilities in the target system.

If it found the target environment feasible for the attack, it would replicate to the target system. Once it had a good number of infected computers ready, it launched DDoS attacks on some selected internet servers, thus ruining their traffic.

Banking computers in the US and Canada had the worse experience with Slammer. The worm even forced ATMs to go offline in multiple places. No definitive solution was ever found to prevent SQP Slammer infections. In fact, saw the attack surface again from computers located in Mexico, China, and Ukraine.

The estimated number of systems with a CryptoLocker infection is about a quarter million. It seems you can write excellent and effective code without mastering English. This message comes along a payment demand, leaving no doubts about what to do next: you pay for the privilege of deciphering your very own files, or you lose all control over your system.

CryptoLocker used the Gameover Zeus botnet to distribute and install millions of CryptoLocker copies in vulnerable systems. Sophos Security estimates the cost of average ransomware hit at , USD. If we estimate additionally that CryptoLocker successfully attacked some corporations, the total cost would have been around million USD, give or take a lot.

Sven Jaschan was a computer science student in Germany, 17 years old. By the time he got arrested in , he was already of age. There was a , bounty on his head , as the creator of Sasser. However, one of his friends blew the whistle on him. Instead, he also created the Netsky. The legal system gave Mr. Jaschan a suspended sentence when it became clear that he was a minor as he was writing the code.

Sasser crashed millions of computers globally, and with an apparently low infection rate, it incurred damages of around million USD. Melissa is a name in Greek mythology, and it refers to the first honey bee. But in , there was also a Florida exotic dancer called Melissa who caught the attention of David L. Smith, the author of the eponymous computer virus. This one started as an infected Word document that the author posted to the Usenet.

He persuaded thousands of Usenet lurkers to download it, claiming it was a list of working passwords for adult websites. Eventually, the unavoidable incident happened as people downloaded the file and opened it.

Upon opening, a macro in the file would come alive and release its payload. Thus Melissa reproduced itself. In addition, Melissa would show itself by inserting a Simpsons reference into the corrupted Word files now and then. Smith uploaded the fateful Word file through a stolen AOL account. Unfortunately for him, this allowed the authorities to trace the file back to him, so they arrested him before a week had passed.

Once caught, he worked along with the FBI to capture other virus writers —the Anna Kournikova virus author being the most well-known case. His cooperation earned him a reduced sentence 20 months and a USD fine — he was supposed to serve ten years. Conficker, or Downup or Downadup, is a worm of unknown origin for Windows that first showed its ugly face in This malware proved how dangerous the overabundant security gaps in Windows could become as it exploited them to create a botnet.

Nine million systems became hosts to Cornficker in every imaginable country , including places like private businesses, governments, individuals. Very few worms managed to infect so many computers and do so much damage — nine billion USD.

The virus used a vulnerability in a Windows network service that Microsoft took too long to patch. The active infection reset account lockout practices, blocked the Windows update and antivirus websites, turned off the services that could identify it, and locked out specific user accounts. Once all those changes are affected, the worm downloads and installs another piece of software that turns the computer into a slave in a botnet. Here are a few more worthy mentions extending the legacy of the worst computer viruses:.

The difference between a virus and a worm is very straightforward to understand. A virus is a parasitic code that needs another program to activate it or make it work. On the other hand, a worm can run without any help. Viruses and worms get into systems in many ways. For instance, the most frequent method of getting infections right now is to click on attachments, open files, or follow link s in unwanted emails. How is that possible? Because many a virus will impersonate somebody else to persuade you to open that link or launch that file.

But, since not every virus works the same way, you cannot generalize how your computer should act upon getting a virus.

Nonetheless, you can certainly avoid a few careless habits that often lead to virus infections on your computer, phone, or any other device. Instead of directly locking them, the ransomware places. Unlike other ransomware viruses, it makes false entries in the Windows registries, modifies various start-up and browser settings, disables security programs, and locks down the entire system.

The sole purpose of developing such dreadful file-encrypting malware is to extract a hefty amount of ransom money from innocent computer users. And if the victim fails to pay the ransom within a given time, the attacker deletes all the stored files and folders permanently. Jigsaw is one of the most dangerous and well-known ransomware families with hundreds of variants of the malware. Cybercriminals often distribute this type of malicious program via junk attachments, free software updates, pirated movie download links, unsafe third party domains, etc.

Game, etc. After doing this, it shows a ransom note which contains information about the payment method and threatens to delete some files permanently every hour if the user fails to transfer the money within a given time period. It is another highly dangerous malicious computer virus that belongs to a ransomware family called Thanatos.

For example, file named luck. To keep your system secure from such harmful malware infections, it is recommended to install a good antivirus program so you can protect yourself from any future computer virus attacks. Jokeroo is one of those recent computer viruses that cybercriminals are now using as ransomware-as-a-service RaaS to offer various membership packages with compact malicious kits to launch ransomware attacks.

Hackers are promoting Jokeroo RaaS via Twitter and on various underground hacking forums, allowing other people to become an affiliate, distribute the ransomware, and then split the ransom amount that they would receive from the victims. To keep your data and online identity secure, it is recommended to avoid clicking suspicious websites, pop-up ads, junk attachments, etc. The cybercriminals started spreading Zeus malware through phishing and spam email campaigns and once injected to the target system, they constantly monitor or control its activities via command and control servers.

Apart from that, scammers used it to download and launch other malicious executables and hide essential confidential files in order to make profits via blackmailing innocent users. GoBrut is one of the latest computer viruses that made its first appearance in March, This new emerging malware threat is written in the Golang programming language with the sole intention to cause damage on thousands of Linux and Windows-based machines.

Even though the malware is in its early stage of development, it is still capable of exploiting the vulnerabilities of the computers running without the proper antivirus program or using weak passwords. Thus, it is extremely important to use a strong and hack-proof password along with an updated antivirus suite to prevent such kinds of dangerous malware attacks.

The Mydoom worm, also referred as the W Mydoom computer was first surfaced in January, and distributed via mass mailing with subject lines such as transmission error, test, mail delivery system, message could not be delivered, etc.

Ryuk ransomware is one of the most lucrative ransomware attacks being witnessed by the large organizations and high-profile business leaders today. The ransomware is operated by a threat group named WIZARD SPIDER that focuses on infiltrating the computer networks of the large group of companies so that they could get a large sum of ransom amount in exchange for their encrypted data.

The hackers behind such ransomware attacks use strong encryption algorithms such as AES and RSA to encrypt the files which means using any other free decryption tools available online would not be able to help you retrieve your data. According to recent reports, the ransomware is now exploiting the fear of the global Coronavirus epidemic and targeting large health organizations and other healthcare facilities to trigger high-value malware attacks. Astaroth Trojan is one of the recent malware threats that is capable of stealing both personal and sensitive information such as login credentials, passwords, credit card details from the compromised system without the knowledge of its owner.

This information stealer is typically delivered via massive spam campaigns in Brazil and some parts of Europe near the end of The Astaroth Trojan malware poses a dangerous threat to security of all operating systems. Therefore, never click on spam emails from unknown senders because it may contain harmful modules of various malware infections. The LockerGoga ransomware is one of the nastiest cryptoviruses that made its presence felt when it attacked the systems of one of the largest aluminium manufacturer companies worldwide, Norsk Hydro.

Unlike other ransomware families, the main objective of LockerGoga ransomware is to cause damage and disrupt general operations. Once injected into the targeted system, it locks the victim out of the compromised computer by changing the credentials of its accounts. The only way to keep yourself safe from this ransomware is to keep your Windows OS and security programs updated at all times. Whereas the Netsky was designed to spread via mass email campaigns.

The Anna Kournikova virus is another computer worm created by a year-old student named Jan de Wit in February, However, the computers running on Linux and Macintosh operating systems were not affected by this dangerous computer virus. One of the latest computer viruses in , CDPwn is a combination of five extreme, zero-day vulnerabilities discovered by cybersecurity researchers in the Cisco Discovery Protocol CDP.

Cisco Discovery Protocol acts as a data link layer and obtains info about the associated Cisco equipment. In addition, the five CDPwn vulnerabilities can allow remote attackers to take control of millions of Cisco devices such as routers, cameras, switches, IP phones, firewalls, NCS systems.

However, neither government has taken the responsibility of such actions, the malicious computer virus appeared to take control of Iranian supervisory control and data acquisition and programmable logic controller systems to cause damage to gas and nuclear centrifuges.

Conficker, also referred as the Kido and Downup, is the largest computer worm, infecting more than 9 million Windows computers in over countries since its first ever appearance in November, To protect yourself from such computer worms, keep your Microsoft Windows software and other programs up-to-date.

The Sobig worm, classified as a type of computer malware, infected millions of internet connected devices running on Microsoft Windows operating systems. Similar to other computer worms, it was distributed via spam email with one of the following subject lines:. The email message was also appeared to contain a document by one of the following titles:. To prevent such dangerous computer viruses from entering into your system, avoid clicking on the spam email messages and run its attachments that are coming from the unsolicited sources.

Developers of such programs are dropping Kuik adware in three different segments that are documented as legitimate flash player, upp. Having talked about the most dangerous and latest threats to your PC, below are the top trending cybersecurity attacks and newest computer viruses that you need to protect yourself from in Hackers are recently found exploiting the vulnerabilities of one of the most popular content management systems, WordPress to distribute backdoor malware to news blogs and corporate websites.

As per cybersecurity expert reports, the malware was disguised as the legitimate Google Chrome update with the intention to drop other payloads such as Trojan, information stealers on sites based on WordPress CMS. As we become more dependent on IoT Internet of Things devices such as video doorbell cameras, speakers, alarm clocks, we can see a massive growth in IoT-based attacks.

ShadowHammer, a supply chain attack that allowed cybercriminals to hijack the Asus live update utility software and distribute a secret backdoor malware to millions of compromised machines.

Bitcoin QR code generator allows users to convert their Bitcoin address to a QR code for quick and easy money transfers.