A Virus Named Melissa

    The Melissa Virus, while not the most dangerous virus in its history, was one of the first viruses that was ever unleashed onto the internet. This virus had made the world aware of how much harm they can have on the new age of internet. In 1999, a man named David L. Smith had created this computer virus on the Microsoft word macro, so that he could spread the virus through Gmail. The virus tempts the recipient through an enticing message; then when the user clicks on the said message, it will replicate itself and send off to 50 other people. This message would be in the form of an important doc so that it would be clicked on easily, and would have a high chance of spreading.

    This email virus had soon spread rapidly through America so much so, that the US government had become interested in Smith's work due to the genius and magnitude of the virus. This virus had wreaked havoc on government and private sectors and had forced a lot of email-based companies to shut down until the infection was taken care of. After a lengthy trial process, Smith has eventually was caught and had received a 20-month sentence and a 5000 dollar fine. He was also not able to access any network terminals without court authorization to do so.

A photo of David L. Smith going on trial because of the virus

   While this scheme was more annoying than actually causing harm, but it was so expertly engineered that many people began to distrust the internet. It was the first cyber attack that people experience directly, which is the main reason why the idea of cybersecurity has become so advanced. These online threats have grown a lot more widespread since the Melissa virus. Online hackers now try and find ways to steal credit card details and sensitive corporate data, provided an even more significant threat than the Melissa virus ever did. We should all be aware that even small annoyances, like the Melissa virus, can eventually spiral out of control and wreak havoc on our important systems.

https://computer.howstuffworks.com/worst-computer-viruses1.htm
https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/melissa-virus-20th-anniversary-032519
https://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/Melissa-virus