Screwing With the System - The Most Dangerous Computer Viruses Ever

The worldwide web is actually very much like our world in several aspects, it's just a little weirder at times. Like the everyday waking world, there are a of ways to have fun, to socialize, to engage in artistic endeavors or to establish a good business strategy among other things. And as much as there are a lot of good things about the web, there are also a lot of dangers to look out for. Hackers (or crackers for that matter) are like thieves and trespassers that use dexterity and careful planning to steal information or money. Cyber-stalkers are much like real life stalkers except that they have the advantage of anonymity and fading into the shadows much thanks to all the advantages the Internet offers. And then much like in the real world, we or our computers can and do get sick-from threats like computer viruses.

What makes these viruses unique from the vicious strains found in nature is that they are man-made. And instead of killing and crippling individual people, they have the capacity to cripple and kill entire industries, organizations and services. Many call the creators of these deadly strains criminals although some have created cult fanbases for themselves, which believe them to be modern day heroes. Whatever you may think of them, here is a list of the most deadly viruses that have been released to damage sectors of society, as a form of protest, or even as some say, by accident:

Melissa Virus: The Melissa virus was one of the most dangerous viruses and one of the fastest spreading ones in recent memory. It infected about 20% of computers worldwide, including the networks of Microsoft, Intel and other companies that relied on MS Outlook to be their default email client. Countless email servers around the world were forced to shut down just to halt the spread of this virus. The email came with an MS Word attachment that, when opened emailed itself to the first 50 people in your contact list. It also overwrote the document files in the infected computer with quotes from the famous TV show, 'The Simpsons'.

Blaster: This was a virulent strain of malware that spread itself not through email but through the vulnerability of both the Windows 2000 and Windows XP machines. Once a computer was infected, it displayed a message box indicating that the system would shut down in a couple of minutes. Discovered in the code was a message to Microsoft owner, Bill Gates saying: "Billy Gates, why do you make this possible? Stop making money, and fix your software!"

MyDoom: When the list of very damaging mass-mailing viruses is compiled, MyDoom will definitely be on the list. Though primarily written to spread through email, its growth became almost impossible to check with the emergence of the P2P software KaZaA. The MyDoom virus slowed down Internet access by 10% and caused some website access to be reduced by 50%. It was said that during its heyday, one it ten email messages sent contained the virus.

These are just a few of the many notorious viruses that have had computer owners and companies shaking their heads and pulling their hairs out in frustration. If you want more of the best instances of cyber-terrorism just visit: http://crunkish.com/top-ten-worst-computer-viruses/ .