Whatever Happened To Computer Viruses?

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Remember how we were all scared of getting a computer virus 10 to 20 years ago? We would buy external software from McAfee and Norton in hopes of preventing a Trojan virus that could destroy our data or corrupt our computers altogether. But, for quite some time now, we haven’t faced any computer viruses. In fact, many of us don’t even use external anti-virus protection software or take extra precautions when it comes to browsing the internet. This can be explained by a couple of factors. For one, the entire world has ditched Internet Explorer which was one of the biggest culprits allowing for computer viruses. Internet Explorer allowed websites to run Visual Basic Script on the computer which gave websites significant access to the given device. Aside from ditching Internet Explorer, software companies have started to take cybersecurity much more seriously and they’ve even started to bribe hackers through large payouts. But, most importantly, the motive of hackers has shifted substantially. Hackers are no longer looking to corrupt our computers. Rather, they’re looking to covertly steal our personal data which is much more valuable. So, while computer viruses may be a relic of the past, staying vigilant online is still very much a concern.

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Timestamps:
0:00 - Computer Viruses
1:37 - History Of Viruses
5:42 - Eradication
9:42 - Shifting Motives
11:50 - The State Of Viruses

Resources:

Disclaimer:
This video is not a solicitation or personal financial advice. All investing involves risk. Please do your own research.

[exploshaun]

I'm honestly convinced that every single "virus" I ever encountered was my "antivirus" trying to convince me to upgrade to their premium plan.

[utkans]

I write old-fashioned and often harmless viruses for fun and distribute them to my friends (at least those who know how to use virtual machines), but one of my friends who was overly confident in the antivirus software he uses decided that my "homemade" virus can't get past its protection anyway, so he ran it without a virtual machine.
In short, his computer got infected and it took me a week to write the program that repairs the damage caused by the virus I wrote in 2 hours.
So yeah antivirus softwares are good and all but the best protection is common sense.

[everythingisfunz]

As someone who works in a computing repair store, it seems that the biggest threat nowadays to the average computer user is phishing and scams. I see so many people getting tricked by phishing emails or fake websites and letting scammers have access to their computers. It’s something that the technically inclined people out there never even think about or realize, but it’s a HUGE problem and it makes me sad how common it is and how many people fall for it and end up losing thousands of dollars.

[ryanbamford]

I've been working in IT just over 9 years now. One thing I've noticed on several occasions, is that 9 years ago viruses were much more plentiful. Back on windows 7 we would often hear about end users getting their machine infected and we'd have to resolve. It never happens anymore, at least for me. The main way we get attacked now is ungodly amounts of phishing

[Scornfull]

Windows Defender being well made and updated frequently but also being bundled with every PC with Windows 10/11 is definitely a huge factor in hacking being much less common as most antivirus software is literally just bloatware that doesn't actually do anything against viruses and is costly for most people

[Namjoon]

I remember being like 9 or 10 and getting a "FBI virus" on my computer. Said the police would show up at my house in 24 hours if I didn't pay them, locked my computer, AND took a screenshot of my face. The way I cried to my parents. Geek Squad was really helpful

[TEBLify]

My 2 cents is that with the lawsuits against McAfee and similar companies, the money that previously went into fear-based commercials have moved on... to VPN providers 😅

[DeanDoesMapping]

They’re still around but anti virus protection on computers has gotten better. People have also gotten more tech savvy as more and more people have technology incorporated into their daily lives

[professional.commentator]

I was actually wondering a few weeks ago about viruses and what happened to them. Back when I was a tween/teen I used to get viruses on my desktop and laptop computers all the time. Most of the viruses came from those scareware/adware pop-ups which I fell for. So that was quite a time to be alive. I think the reason viruses are so rare these days is because everyone's using their phones now which have better security systems in place, websites have started filtering and cleaning up their ads, and people overall have gotten more computer literate over the years.

[Hubris]

We've got to a point where an adblocker will protect you more effectively than an actual antivirus software

[Jarlle]

Biggest reason is that the “computer virus” does not really exist anymore - being called virus as it causes symptoms, making the computer “sick”, and leaving behind artifacts (in this case, files).
Today its about being stealthy and efficient, and the best way to do that is to throw the “virus” part away and create a way to gain shell access through fileless means.

[joshuafountain]

Viruses are still extremely common. I work at Geek Squad and I'd say a quarter of our clients are coming in with some of the most insane viruses you've ever seen, it's mostly an issue with seniors.

[eplecaster]

I totally thought this video was sponsored, that you at suddently would say "If you want to be safe from this use this". Love that you made this type of video without any sponsors!

[JellyJonesey]

One of the biggest changes to people's PCs is that the default user no longer has full administrative control to the system. It became that much harder for a virus to infect a system.

[me.justme.]

I can still recall the the feelings of absolute dread and fear when getting those "threat has been detected" alerts as a kid. Having to call up a close family friend that knew about computers and be walked through the steps of isolating the virus in a "chest", even installing a certain program so he could remotely take control of my computer.
I don't even remember the last time I got a virus, but to this day I'm still too scared to go on any sites that let you watch stuff for free and whenever my browser or adblock gives me a warning about a site that might be sketchy I get out of there as fast as possible lol

[tzarg]

nowadays, anti-virus software feels like virus software
doesn't solve problems, just makes stuff up to nag you about
edit: OMG THONKS 4 DEAR LIKE I LOVE LIKES ON MY EWTUBE COMMENT SO MUCH SO MUCH

[RealityCheck]

Home routers with firewalls did a lot for safety too. They prevent instant virus replication through a network of isp-s. At least that was the case 15 years ago.

[quantaluxvision]

This video neglects to mention a couple important details: the shift to mobile. With operating systems operating as a secure sandbox, it's much harder to get a virus on iPhone or android (including outright blocking of installing software outside of the approved app store). As well as how most people's online activity has shifted away from email and browsers, instead using apps on the phone.
A side note though, most corporate data leaks aren't from simple viruses, but phishing schemes and social engineering to get log ins.

[ryanmaris]

A big thing was actually the improvements to Windows Defender. Windows Defender is much better at alerting users about untrusted or weird programs than it use to. It even can now test programs as you go to run them in a sandbox environment just to make sure the startup doesn’t do anything that compromises windows defender itself. If something comes up seeming strange in that virtual environment, windows defender will let you know.

[tiagoferreira]

My biggest concern nowadays isn't even the virus, but the lack of privacy (or spyware)... And when it is virus, are those suckers that keeps silently in their corner "watching" everything you do and snitch to nefarious hackers.