Remembering MyDoom, One Year Later

PCWorld.com - Remembering MyDoom, One Year Later

This is an interesting article about the effects of the MyDoom virus that spread through the internet last year infecting even some people that I knew directly. The article talks about the effects of the virus upon virus writing today. What MyDoom demonstrated was the real interrelatedness of the web, the virus was able to infect computers and turn them into new machines for attacking others - so-called "zombie computers". Therefore, not only does your computer become infected with a hostile virus, it come under the control of someone who seeks to obtain personal information and use your computer to distribute spam, to disable other computers, or serve as a source for future viruses.

Not only is it therefore imperative that you keep your own computer secure, but it is in all of our interests that we encourage those we know to keep their computers secure as well. McAfee asserts that at one time between 25,000 and 50,000 computers took part in an attack on one internet site. Each of these computers had been taken over by the MyDoom virus.