When you get an email, you usually expect that it is legitimate, particularly if it comes from someone you know or someone whom you have previously engaged with on social media. However, sometimes an email can appear to be suspicious or even dangerous, particularly if it contains a link to a website that displays a questionable banner or an offer to help you solve your financial problems. If you are unfamiliar with viral email viruses, they are malicious programs that can replicate and disseminate themselves through outbound email messages, often resulting in a significant amount of spam and phishing emails sent to individual inboxes across the globe. Some of these viruses result from well-executed SEO or malware, while others seem to be the product of extremely malicious actors that are trying to gain attention through extreme tactics. Regardless, they all result in the same thing – users find themselves infected with questionable programs or websites that they did not voluntarily want to be a part of their system.
The Rise In Sophistication
The viral email scene has been around since the 1990s, but it has become an increasing issue in recent years. Back in the day, most viruses would just display a misleading message after infecting a system, usually boasting about the number of people that clicked on a link or accessed a website. The message would usually end with a suggestion to “visit the website for more information” or “if you’re not convinced, try another website.” This was enough for a lot of people, as those were the only messages most people got from email viruses back then. As people grew more sophisticated, however, they started seeing the value in going through the trouble of removing a virus from their system rather than just seeing a link to an even more virulent strain.
How Do You Spot a Viral Email Virus?
Although the methods may differ from one virus to the next, all of them share a few common traits that make them virtually impossible to defend against and extremely dangerous for unsuspecting users. One of the things that make these viruses distinctive is that they often display an extremely high degree of creativity, sophistication, and technological mastery. They will also often display an astonishing ability to spread themselves throughout a network, rapidly gaining a significant amount of support and interest from across the globe. These are the essential elements that allowed the recent WannaCry and NotPetya outbreaks to become such major problems for companies and organizations alike.
WannaCry Is The Biggest Outbreak Of Its Kind
WannaCry was first spotted back in April 2017, although it probably originated as early as March 2017. It is a particularly infamous instance of a dangerous computer virus that spread globally, infecting more than 300,000 computers in over 150 countries. It is usually associated with a massive amount of spam emails that contained a link to a compromised website that displayed a strange looking ransom note. Victims had to pay a certain amount of money in Bitcoin in order to have their data recovered, with the average payment being around $230. The damage from this particular virus was so great that even the notorious North Korean government had to issue a statement acknowledging that it was indeed a problem and had their intelligence agencies working to contain it. The best way to prevent yourself from getting infected with WannaCry is to simply be on the lookout for suspicious emails that contain images or links to strange websites, as well as to avoid clicking on any such links or visiting any such websites. Another good idea would be to change your passwords frequently and ensure that you use strong, unique passwords for every online account that you have. NotPetya Is An Up-And-Comer In The World Of Viral Email
NotPetya is another incredibly dangerous virus that infamously affected hundreds of thousands of computers around the world back in May 2018. This particular virus reached the height of its popularity around the beginning of May 2018, and it is still one of the most notorious viruses of all time. It shows up as a typical spam email that starts off seemingly normal, but then proceeds to render the email user’s system completely useless and potentially even dangerous. The only thing that the virus demands from its victims is that they pay a ransom, usually in the form of Bitcoin, in order to have their systems restored. The virus is usually spread through email attachments that are either purposefully or carelessly infected with the malware, and it then spreads itself throughout the network. In order to avoid getting infected with NotPetya, it is best to treat all unsolicited emails with extreme suspicion and to only connect with people that you know personally or whose communications you have previously verified as legitimate. Once again, changing your passwords and avoiding suspicious emails are some of the best ways to ensure that your computer is not infected with this particular virus. Lastly, it is also imperative to keep your systems up-to-date with the latest security patches and updates as soon as they become available. Without proper maintenance, all of your security measures are essentially meaningless.
Malware That Is Easy To Remove
In addition to being a source of spam, some viral email threats are actually designed to be removable. This is usually the case with ransomware viruses, where the goal is to make money through demanding payment or hoping that the user will eventually cave under the pressure. The good news is that it is usually not too difficult to remove these kinds of viruses from an otherwise healthy computer. All it takes is a little bit of knowledge and an even bigger pot of patience.
How Long Does It Take To Remove A Viral Email Virus?
The time it takes for a virus to be removed will vary from one computer to the next, as it depends on a number of factors. Some viruses will take a lot longer to be rid of than others, as there is usually more work to do. For instance, the WannaCry virus was incredibly invasive and had buried itself deeply within multiple systems, making it one of the most aggressive viruses that any security professional had ever seen. Luckily, with enough time and effort, all of its victims were able to pull through, and they could eventually restore their systems to their original state. NotPetya on the other hand was a much shorter-lived virus, likely generated by extremely sophisticated cybercriminals who wanted to make a quick buck before they moved on to the next project. It was virtually impossible to remove due to the fact that it had merely lodged itself within a machine’s memory without any of the usual signs of infection.
Ransomware Isn’t The Only Thing That This Guy Is Good At
The sad fact is that even when you do manage to remove a virus, it doesn’t always mean that your computer is completely secure again. This is because there are so many other types of malware out there that are specifically designed to infest and damage computers, rather than just demanding a single payment to remove themselves. The most famous and most widely used of these viruses is probably the Angler hacker team, which develops, implants, and spreads the Angler Banker virus throughout networks. Once infected, this virus presents itself as a typical piece of spam that asks users to visit a website in order to get a free guide to safely dealing with your financial problems. However, instead of just ending there, the site will then infect your computer with the infamous CryptoLocker virus, which then holds all of your personal information for ransom. Unless you pay the ransom, your data will be locked away forever and you will have to start completely over again. Luckily, if you do choose to pay the ransom, it is not necessarily as bad as it seems, as you will then have access to a team of experts who can help you to try and recover your files as soon as possible.
Don’t Forget: These Are Some Of The Most Aggressive Viruses
Of course, it is important to keep in mind that not all viral emails are created equal, and there are certain viruses that are much worse than others. It is generally best to avoid those that you don’t recognize or have never heard of, as it is usually a safe bet that they are incredibly dangerous and can do a tremendous amount of damage. Make sure that you don’t help any suspicious emails sneak past your defenses, as it could end up being more dangerous than if you had simply ignored them and opened the attachment. This is especially important if you are the type of person that tends to help other people out, as it could put you in the middle of a viral epidemic that you didn’t see coming and for which you had no immunity. As you can see, some viruses are more dangerous than others, and it is important to be mindful of this fact. Being vigilant and patient usually pays off in the end, as you can usually remove most malware, even the most aggressive ones, with enough time and determination.