The Windows Special – viruses and other malware

The computer and the knife
A knife can be used to kill people, when used by a murderer. It can also be used to save people's lives, when used by a doctor. A computer is rather similar in this sense. Computers and Internet have brought us lots of benefits - one can buy things from another continent from home, read news from all the wide world, communicate with more people than it was ever possible. And yet we have the negative side too.

The PC falls ill: the first virus outbreaks

 * Yankee Doodle
 * Cascade
 * Dark Avenger
 * DIR II

I Love You, Melissa

 * I Love You
 * Melissa

Why?
The motivation of virus writers

The Windows Special
Windows vs other systems: why does it get beaten so hard?

Links

 * BUTLER, James, SPARKS, Sherri (2005) Windows rootkits of 2005, part one. SecurityFocus, November 4, 2005
 * BUTLER, James, SPARKS, Sherri (2005) Windows rootkits of 2005, part two. SecurityFocus, November 17, 2005
 * BUTLER, James, SPARKS, Sherri (2006) Windows rootkits of 2005, part three. SecurityFocus, January 5, 2006