Goodtimes Virus - Viruses That Function Like Good Times

Viruses That Function Like Good Times

Developments in mail systems, such as Microsoft Outlook, without sufficient thought for security implications, made viruses that indeed propagate themselves via email possible. Notable examples include the Melissa worm, the ILOVEYOU virus, and the Anna Kournikova virus. In some cases, a user must open a document or program contained in an email message in order to spread the virus; in others, notably the Kak worm, merely opening or previewing an email message itself will trigger the virus.

Some e-mail viruses written after the Good Times scare contained text announcing that "This virus is called 'Good Times,'" presumably hoping to gain kudos amongst other virus writers by appearing to have created a worldwide scare. In general, virus researchers avoided naming these viruses as "Good Times," but an obvious potential for confusion exists, and some Anti-Virus tools may well detect a real virus they identify as "Good Times," though this will not be the cause of the original scare.