'Top 10' virus list for 2001

It's that time of year again: Get ready for 2001 'Top 10' lists. In one of the first to come out this year, antivirus company Sophos PLC released its annual list of the top 10 viruses for 2001, with the Nimda worm taking honors as the most destructive worm or virus of the year. :roll:

Nimda accounted for 27 percent of all reports received by Sophos' help desk during 2001, with the Sircam virus making up 20.3 percent of all reports for the year, according to Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos.

In its report, Sophos uses the term "virus" to cover viruses, worms and Trojan horses. While viruses and worms are both destructive or disruptive programs, the main difference between the two is that the distinct computer code in a worm can spread unaided whereas a virus needs a program or an end user's aid to perpetuate itself. A Trojan horse has its malicious or harmful code inside programming or data that appears to be harmless and once inside a PC hard drive, can take control and do the damage it is intended to do.

News source: ITworld.com