The virus that changed the internet: Melissa virus explained | NordVPN

Block ads, trackers, dangerous links, and malicious files with NordVPN 🚫 Get NordVPN here: https://content.nordvpn.com/3G5GXiC In 1999 a computer virus hit everyone’s Outlook inboxes and soon enough disrupted internet services across the globe. Meet the Melissa virus — the malware that changed the internet. Check out this video to learn the history of the Melissa virus attack, how it worked, and who created it. 🔔 Subscribe to get the latest content: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSZhRxyloC-qzURiOa3vbFQ?sub_confirmation=1 RECOMMENDED VIDEOS ► Cybercrime: a look at the online underworld 💻 ► https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLl5pF81orD_27p3XAue9UtG857u7QUeJj How was the dark web born? ► https://youtu.be/TnAKDh2oHvA Meet the world’s most famous hacker: The life of Kevin Mitnick ► https://youtu.be/4WeVgAfq0cA Robin Hoods or trolls? The story of Anonymous ► https://youtu.be/jpyRTI-f99s Contents: 00:00 Intro 00:11 Malware in the 90s 00:26 Infected file on AOL 01:30 Melissa virus damage 02:30 David Lee Smith 02:37 How it changed the internet *** This is the story of the Melissa virus. Back in the ’90s, malware wasn’t the industry it is today. Things like boot sector viruses spread via floppy disks, so you’d only infect one or two computers at a time. That was until March 26,1999, when a man named David Lee Smith posted a file on an internet newsgroup using a hacked AOL account. The post promised access to paywalled pornography websites. Once you clicked on the file named “list.doc” you'd get the passwords. But you’d also get Melissa. Melissa, reportedly named after a stripper Smith met in Florida, was a macro virus that targeted Microsoft Office systems. If you opened the file and happened to have Microsoft Outlook, the most popular mailing program at the time, you’d also send out the virus to 50 other people on your contact list. The subject of the email was disguised as a message from someone the recipient knew, and the contents of the letter read "Here is that document you asked for … don’t show anyone else ;-)” It also had the list.doc file attached. At the time, there was no such thing as a virus spreading through email. Not really. So people opened the attachment. Over and over and over again. Within hours, it had reached the mailing systems of corporate networks and the sheer amount of traffic slowed them to a point where some networks had to be temporarily shut down. Over five days, Melissa affected a million email accounts and disrupted more than 300 organizations, including Microsoft, Intel Corp, the United States Marine Corps, and parts of the Air Force. It was the fastest spreading virus in the history of the internet to date. It caused about $80 million in damages in the U.S. and about $1.1 billion across the globe. But… we got lucky — the virus itself wasn’t intended to steal information or destroy infected machines. It DID corrupt Word documents if you opened them at a specific time that matched the date on your computer. But that’s about it. The most damage came from overloaded networks. David Lee Smith got a 20-month prison sentence and a $5,000 fine. But the internet never was the same. Melissa was a wake-up call. In response, the FBI opened a new Cyber Division focused solely on digital crimes. Unfortunately, Melissa also worked as an inspiration. It began a transformation of digital threats and the very landscape of the internet as we know it. And just a year later, a more harmful, more infectious virus would spread across the web, wreaking more havoc than anyone had ever seen. *** 📌OUR SOCIAL MEDIA 📱 🔵FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/NordVPN/ 🔵INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/nordvpn/ 🔵TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@nordvpn 🔵TWITTER: https://twitter.com/NordVPN Check out NordVPN’s German and French channels ⏯️ 🌐 🇫🇷 @NordVPNenfrancais 🇩🇪 @NordVPNaufDeutsch #NordVPN #Melissavirus #Melissavirusexplained