While we are all apparently getting better at responding to viral outbreaks, virus writers are getting increasingly sophisticated when it comes to creating devious ways around security systems, anti-virus software, work practices and firewalls.
Anti-virus experts are also quick to point out that there is a difference between a prevalent virus and a destructive virus. As Sopho's Paul Duckman explains.
-The extent of the damage caused by a virus really comes down to who gets it and what they use their computer for," Duckman said. -The Chernobyl virus basically totally overrode the motherboard on a system, leaving home users and small business in the dark as to what happened as their PC simply died, whereas something like Sircam wreaked havoc at the corporate level with institutions like the FBI left compromised because it managed to send out the confidential information."
Similarly NAI's Allan Bell points out that viruses which have the most impact are not necessarily the most widespread, or even widely recognised.
-Now that we are seeing viruses work in tandem we have to be even more careful of rapidly spreading viruses that apparently do not contain malicious code," Bell said. -They may be followed by more opportunistic viruses."
The following list reveals the ten viruses which provoked the most requests for help from users, according to antivirus software vendor Sophos, and also provides some indication of the cultural diversity, and odd sense of humour displayed by virus writers.
Kournikova is a case in point. This Visual Basic Script worm refers to a Russian tennis player, or an Argentine football team, and celebrates Australia's national day by sending infected users to a computer reseller in the Netherlands.
Hybris, on the other hand, tells the story of the seven dwarfs in three different languages, then marks September 24, a day culturally significant to New Zealanders, by filling the infected users screen with a psychodelic graphic.
Then there's the deeply destructive Sircam which attributes its origins to Michoacan, a region of Mexico better known for its ice creams.
It's sad that people focus their efforts on producing code that damages rather than actually putting their skill to work in a constructive manner. Does writing a virus that destroys a strangers work or crashes an IRC server really prove talent, ability or maturity.... or is it the technological equivalent of scrawling your name on the side of a train.
It's putting the onus on to users to spend time and money on antivirus tools, and rely on the antivirus vendors to keep one step ahead (one of the better products at that from www.nod32.com.au) and implement firewalls (such as from www.tinysoftware.com) and other security / anti-intrusion mechanisms.
Outlook and IIS often have the finger pointed at them as exasperating the problems, but Linux servers are just as vulnerable. The press 'slamming' of MS is often seen as legitimising the anti-social activities targeting the Win32 platforms.
The problem is, as the counter-measures get better the virus code will have to become more efficient, effective and stealthy... and to get the attention the juvenile writers desire the results of a successful infection will have to be 'bigger and better'
The worst may well be yet to come, but there's a lot of things that responsible sysadmins, ISPs, AntiVirus vendors, and the press can do to reduce the hysteria spinning, ego-pandering attention that is generated with each new virus