Melissa Virus: The Email Plague of 1999

In 1999, David Smith created the Melissa virus, which spread rapidly via Microsoft Word email attachments, causing $1.1 billion in damages and infecting major organizations like Microsoft and the US Marine Corps. Named after a stripper, the virus exploited Outlook to auto-email itself to 50 contacts, overwhelming email servers. Smith was arrested, pled guilty, and helped the FBI catch other virus creators. Melissa revealed vulnerabilities in popular software and the need for better cybersecurity.

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