VIRUSES
These infect applications attaching themselves to the initialization sequence. The virus replicates itself, infecting other code in the computer system. Viruses can also attach themselves to executable code or associate themselves with a file by creating a virus file with the same name but with an .exe extension, thus creating a decoy which carries the virus.
The Mellissa Virus
In March of 1999 the Melissa Virus was created by a programmer named
David Lee Smith.
Smith hacked an AOL account and used it to post a file
on an internet newsgroup.
The post promised viewers multiple passwords
to sites with free adult content.
The virus was unleashed when users opened
the document with Microsoft word.
The virus shattered computer systems
and caused around $80 million in damage.
The ILOVEYOU Virus
On May of 2000 an email with the subject "ILOVEYOU" spread like wildfire
and infected more than 50 million computers in just nine days. The virus was
obtained once someone opened an attatchment in the email. It caused about $10
billion in damages and resulted in the Pentagon and CIA shuting down their
computers.
