The computer wormseither computer worms Due to their meaning in English, they are a type of malware that has the ability to replicate and spread from one computer to another. They do not require the action of a user, since they self-replicate on their own. Hence its danger.
Furthermore, its existence is usually only noticed when the computer is very slow or failing in its tasks, making it very difficult to detect.
Since its origin with the Morris Worm – the first worm created – there have been several worms that have transcended history due to the harmful reach they have had. These are some of the best known:
The best-known computer worms in history
These are the most popular computer worms in history, either because of their reach or how harmful they were, or simply because they are the first or most sophisticated:
-Morris Worm (1988)
It is considered the first self-replicating malware. It was created by a student named Robert Tappan Morris, who originated it on November 2, 1988. Although the young man did not want to cause damage, the way the worm was written caused many host machines to be infected. This caused a massive equipment collapse which in turn led to million-dollar losses.
Morris became the first person convicted under the US Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986. Which also led to more awareness about cybersecurity.
-ILOVEYOU Worm (2000)
It emerged in the Philippines in the early 2000s and is named after the message that was sent via email in order to spread it. He took advantage of the fact that there was still a lot of naivety about email attachments.
It was a worm created to overwriting random files on affected computers. After attacking the host machine, the worm sent copies of itself by email via Microsoft Outlook to all the contacts that each user saved in their address list. It spread throughout the world causing losses of billions of dollars.
-Code Red Worm -Code Red- (2001)
It was a worm that attacked computers running the Microsoft ISS server, Microsoft Internet Information Server. Although its detection was early, the malware spread worldwide.
-SQL Slammer Worm (2003)
It was an Internet worm that spread at high speeds in 2003. It is known to infect 75,000 computers in just 10 minutes. What set it apart from others was that, instead of spreading via email as was traditional, SQL Slammer searched for and attacked a vulnerability in Microsoft SQL Server for Windows 2000.
What I did was generate IP addresses randomly and then send copies of itself to computers with those IP addresses. Then I looked for one of them to have SQL Server with a vulnerability, to get into it and get it up and running.
-Storm Worm (2007)
It was an email worm started in 2007. It was responsible for send a fake news report via email about a storm wave that had already caused hundreds of deaths in Europe. This was the subject: “230 dead as storm batters Europe.”
For ten years, billions of emails were sent with the aim of creating a botnet or zombie network called Botnet Storm. That is, creating a network of controlled computers to distribute malicious content.
-WannaCry Worm (2017)
WannaCry was born in 2017 and was a worm that took advantage of the vulnerability that some versions prior to Windows 8 had. When it managed to find a vulnerable computer, it installed a copy of itself, He encrypted his victims’ files and demanded payment to regain access to them. In just one day it infected more than 200,000 computers in 150 countries.