A virus is kind of computer program. It moves from one computer to another and damages memory or other parts of computer. Some viruses are difficult to stop; they can damage millions of computers in a very short time.
The first virus appeared in 1986. It was called Brian. In 1987, a more dangerous virus called Jerusalem appeared. This virus stayed in a computer, and did nothing, until the date was Friday 13th; then it started to damage the computers memory. People knew, that viruses were going to be a problem, and programmers began to write anti-virus software. Each new virus was more difficult to find, and so anti-virus software needed to get better and better. By 1988, newspapers, and magazines were beginning to have stories about viruses.
By the early 1990s, there were more than 150 computer viruses in the world. Some of these viruses were more ‘intelligent’ than others; they had special software wich made it very difficult for people to fight a virus. One programmer wrote a few different viruses around this time. This person is known as the Dark Avenger and he (or she) probably lives in Bulgaria, but the police have never found him. In 1993, the SatanBug virus appeared in Washington DC. The anti-virus software companies worked to find the programmer, who was just a child.
By the late 1990s, most computers were part of the email and Internet systems. This meant that virus programmers could do a lot of damage very quickly. For example, in 1999, the Melissa virus appeared. It could move from one computer to another by email. A year later, the most successful virus in history reached millions of computers in less than twenty-four hours. When it appeared on computer, it automatically sent itself to every other email adress in the computer. This virus was called ‘I love you’.
The virus programmers are getting better all the time, but so is the anti-virus software. Some people think that viruses will do a lot of damage in the future. Computers are now the important part of everything; without them the modern world will stop. Nobody will be able to travel, work, shop, watch television, get money, or send messages. Perhaps one day, a computer virus will bring the world to a stop for a few hours.
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