# The most famous computer viruses in history

From the harmless Creeper of 1971 to the WannaCry that crippled hospitals: the viruses, worms and malware that caused the biggest stir. Which one did you have to suffer?

- 26 votes · 16 items
- Mar 3, 2025 · Renzo Vásquez Quispe
- https://even.best/en/l/2330/the-most-famous-computer-viruses-in-history

## Top 16

1. **Brain (1986)** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — Created by two Pakistani brothers, it left their contact details.
2. **Zeus (2007)** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — The trojan that stole banking details.
3. **Creeper (1971)** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — The first known virus: it hopped across ARPANET and just showed a message.
4. **Elk Cloner (1982)** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — A 15-year-old made it as a prank for the Apple II.
5. **ILOVEYOU (2000)** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — The fake love letter that reached millions of inboxes.
6. **Industroyer (2016)** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — It knocked out power in part of Kyiv.
7. **Clop (2019)** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Ransomware that also stole data before encrypting it.
8. **Stuxnet (2010)** (1 · ▲2 ▼1) — The first cyberweapon, aimed at Iran's nuclear centrifuges.
9. **Mirai (2016)** (1 · ▲2 ▼1) — It used cameras and routers with factory passwords to take down half the internet.
10. **CryptoLocker (2013)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — One of the first ransomware programs to demand a ransom for your files.
11. **Emotet (2014)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Dubbed "the king of malware".
12. **WannaCry (2017)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — More than 200,000 computers in 150 countries, including British hospitals.
13. **DarkSide (2021)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — The attack that shut down the Colonial Pipeline in the US.
14. **Morris worm (1988)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — It infected about 10% of the computers on the internet.
15. **Mydoom (2004)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — The fastest-spreading email worm ever.
16. **NotPetya (2017)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — It posed as ransomware but only destroyed.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.