Search Engine Optimisation Web Log (BLOG)
Editor: Matt Paines

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Happy Birthday Melissa

Don't worry, we're not wishing a staff member a happy birthday; we're taking a much geekier route. Today marks the 10th birthday of the worlds first violently destructive, self-propagating email virus, W97M_Melissa.

Friday the 26th of March 1999 was the day where IT professionals across the globe turned as white as sheets, watching there networks collapse under the weight of Melissa. Even the likes of Microsoft and the United States Marine Corps could not escape the force of this new breed of virus.

By the following Monday the true extent of the damage was being realised across IT networks. Companies such as McAfee became inundated with phone calls from terrified techies. Altogether, about $80Million worth of damage was caused across the world by the worm.

More importantly, the 26th of March marks the day that the adolescent public, still wet behind the ears with this whole internet malarkey, was cruelly thrust into a brave new world where it became quickly obvious how dangerous the World Wide Web could be.

So today, raise a coffee mug and utter a few obscenities to Melissa, and reminisce where you were when you discovered your precious network had crumpled under her evil heel.

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