Why do people spread computer viruses?
The answer has changed somewhat over time. It used to be that viri were made by young programmers, “playing”. That is, “See what I can do”? They didn’t do it particularly out of malice, but more out of a sense of game. Of course, by creating anti-virus software, companies have basically continued to keep the game entertaining: What can I do that can’t be detected? How do I out-smart the people who are trying to protect the machine? Its not that they hated the people who owned the machines that got the viri, or the people writing anti-virus software – it was fun. It was a competition. They did it for the same reason that people drop watermelons off buildings. It’s fun. It calls attention to itself. They aren’t thinking about it from the point of view of the poor schlub who gets to clean it up, or the possible destruction if it drops on a falling car. However, now it is turning into a business – people create viri that infect your machine with software that allows the bad guy to do somet
