Li Ming Wong

Virus Hoaxes

"Warning!," the email screams. "There's a new virus going around, and Microsoft says it's the worst one yet!" After this amazing bit of hype, the email continues with "Once this virus infects your system, it will delete all the files on your hard drive,... Read >

The Nimda Virus

One of the most complex and dangerous viruses ever was the Nimda virus, in September 2001. Nimda became the most widespread virus in the world a mere 22 minutes after it was released. Nimda was as powerful as it was because it knew so many different... Read >

The Michelangelo Virus - Hype and Fizzle

The Michelangelo virus was the first real appearance of computer virus hype in the media. Various "experts" made claims about how widespread the virus was and how much damage it was going to do when it triggered. Michelangelo first hit the news in lat... Read >

The CIH Virus

On April 26, 1999, systems around the world began dying. Something was both damaging information on hard drives and damaging their BIOS chips. Investigation turned up the CIH Virus, later known as Chernobyl because it was released on the anniversary of ... Read >

Spyware Overview

Imagine a program that watches your computer. It sits in memory, watching everything the computer does--the websites it displays, the passwords used to get into them, the advertisements that get clicked on. This program silently and secretly gathers a... Read >

Robert Tappan Morris and the Internet Worm

Robert Tappan Morris claims he only wanted to measure the size of the Internet, but he didn't count on the speed and power of his program. He wrote a virus program that would spread to other computers. He made the program smart; before it infected a n... Read >

Malware Overview

Do you know what goes on under the hood of your car? Do you know the solution for a warning light on the dash? Do you know what's wrong with the car if it starts making strange noises or loses power? Those same questions can be asked about your compu... Read >

Macro Viruses and the Melissa virus

Microsoft thought it was doing it's customers a favor by adding a programming language to Microsoft Word. In terms of customer service, it was a great idea, because it would allow users to automate and program within their documents. For example, when a... Read >

Legitimate Adware

There are plenty of reasons why malware is "bad." Are there any times when malware is valid and legal? Many shareware programs today come bundled with adware. The premise is this: If you try out the program, and enjoy it, you'll buy it. Until you p... Read >

Home Page Hijacking and Browser Helper Objects

Internet Explorer has a way for a website to add itself to the list of favorites. It's a feature Microsoft added so that websites can have a button that says "Bookmark This Site! Just Click Here!" Now, if that's all that particular feature did, then ... Read >

History of Viruses, 1999 through 2001

The Melissa virus was the big story of 1999. Named after a lap dancer, Melissa was the first major emailing virus. Upon infection, it used Microsoft Outlook to send copies of itself to the first fifty names in the address book. March, 1999, saw it spre... Read >

History of Computer Viruses to 1989

Science fiction writer David Gerrold wrote "When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One" and published it in 1972. In it, a computer program called "VIRUS" spreads from computer to computer, before it is finally killed by another program, appropriately called "VACCINE." ... Read >

Virus History – 2001 to Present

After the flurry of viruses that haunted 2001, 2002 was amazingly quiet. Unfortunately, 2003 took off again. January saw the SQL Slammer worm infect over 75,000 systems in about ten minutes. It attacked a flaw in Microsoft's SQL Server, and basically... Read >

History of Computer Viruses since 1989-1999

Robert Morris's Internet Worm of 1988 was the biggest news in virus history for several years. Until 1992, most virus news was much quieter. In 1989, for example, Ghostball was released. This was the first virus able to attack different kinds of targ... Read >

Firewalls and Proxies

In building construction, a firewall is a structure designed to contain building fires. For example, an attic crawlspace that covers the entire length of the building would allow a fire to roar from one end of the building to the other. Breaking up the ... Read >