In the Shell

In this episode, we dive into the chaotic rise of the Mydoom worm, one of the fastest-spreading computer worms ever recorded. From its origins in Russia to its DDoS attacks on SCO Group and Microsoft, Mydoom wreaked havoc on the internet in the early 2000s. We explore how the worm’s clever tactics—like blocking antivirus websites and spreading through email and peer-to-peer networks—made it a form...

In 2003, the Fizzer worm took advantage of the growing peer-to-peer file-sharing trend, spreading across Kazaa and beyond. What seemed like a harmless music download on Limewire could turn into a backdoor for hackers. In this episode of In The Shell , I share my personal experience with file sharing on my Blue Dell Inspiron 1100 and how I unknowingly encountered malware for the first time. We’ll e...

In this episode of In the Shell , we dive into one of the most notorious cyber incidents of the early 2000s—the SQL Slammer worm. Join me as we explore how this tiny 376-byte worm caused massive internet disruptions worldwide in 2003. From its rapid spread across 75,000 servers in under 10 minutes to its impact on global infrastructure, the SQL Slammer worm serves as a powerful reminder of the imp...

In this episode of In the Shell , we dive into the story of the Code Red worm, one of the most notorious cyberattacks in history. We explore how it all began with a vulnerability in Microsoft IIS web servers, leading to the rise of multiple versions of the worm. From defaced websites to failed DDOS attacks, and the eventual rise of the dangerous Code Red II, this episode uncovers the chaos it caus...

On May 4th, 2000, an email with the subject “ILOVEYOU” spread like wildfire across the internet. What seemed like a harmless message turned into one of the most notorious worms in history, infecting millions of computers worldwide. In this episode of In the Shell , I dive into the story behind the ILOVEYOU worm—how it was created, who was behind it, and the chaos it unleashed. We'll explore the or...