Malware programs

01

Stuxnet

A joint US-Israeli weapon spun Iranian centrifuges to destruction while feeding operators false "all clear" readings. Stuxnet physically broke hardware no human touched — the first time code became a wrench.

02

Pegasus (spyware)

One missed WhatsApp call — no answer required — silently handed attackers every message, photo, and microphone on an iPhone. NSO Group sold Pegasus to governments for roughly $650,000 per ten targets.

03

Blackshades

For $40, anyone could silently activate a stranger's webcam and watch. On May 19, 2014, Europol and the FBI arrested 97 people across 16 countries in a single coordinated sweep.

04

WannaCry ransomware attack

NSA's stolen EternalBlue exploit encrypted 80,000 NHS devices in May 2017, forcing British hospitals to turn away ambulances. The kill switch was found by a 22-year-old researcher who registered a $10.69 domain.

05

Shamoon

In August 2012, Shamoon overwrote the boot sectors of 35,000 Saudi Aramco computers with a burning American flag, replacing the world's most valuable company's data with a single image.

06

CIH (computer virus)

CIH triggered on April 26 — Chernobyl's anniversary — flashing BIOS chips into permanent silence. Written by Taiwanese student Chen Ing-hau in 1998, it destroyed hardware, not just files.

07

Industroyer

On Christmas Eve 2015, Industroyer flipped breakers across western Ukraine, cutting power to 230,000 people. It spoke directly to grid hardware in its native protocol — no middleman, no alarm.

08

Petya (malware family)

NotPetya wore a ransomware mask but had no decryption key — ever. It cost Maersk $300 million, wiped Merck's drug production, and erased FedEx's European arm in hours.

09

Morris worm

In November 1988, Cornell grad student Robert Morris released a self-replicating worm that crashed roughly 6,000 machines — about 10% of the entire internet. He became the first person convicted under the CFAA.

10

SpyEye

SpyEye's creator Aleksandr Andreev built a "kill Zeus" command to assassinate rival malware on infected machines — competing for victims like a drug cartel. He was sentenced to 9.5 years in a US federal prison.