Black Friday Sale! 50% Off All Access

Nostalgic for Old Viruses? The Malware Museum Has You Covered. It's perfect if you have a hankering to relive the feeling of seeing '80s and '90s malware, but without the panic they might have caused at the time.

By David Meyer

Entrepreneur+ Black Friday Sale

Our biggest sale — Get unlimited access to Entrepreneur.com at an unbeatable price. Use code SAVE50 at checkout.*

Claim Offer

*Offer only available to new subscribers

This story originally appeared on Fortune Magazine

Internet Archive
Screenshot of the vintage Flame.com virus, as featured in the Malware Museum.

Computer viruses have been around for decades, yet they have perhaps escaped the kind of nostalgia afforded to, say, old games.

No longer -- if you have a hankering to relive the feeling of seeing '80s and '90s malware, but without the panic they might have caused at the time, welcome to the Malware Museum.

The repository was knocked together by Mikko Hypponen, the chief research officer at Finnish security firm F-Secure, and Jason Scott, the software collections curator at the Internet Archive.

Hypponen told Fortune the move was based on the facts that he had a large collection of malware from his 25 years in the business, and the Internet Archive had recently introduced an emulator for old MS-DOS software.

Set live on Friday, the collection comprises emulations that show the messages and animations victims would often see when their computer had been infected. Of course, the destructive bits have been taken out -- these memories are safe for work.

One notable gem is the Frodo virus, which was one of the first of its kind to operate by stealth. Spread via floppy disk (these were the pre-web days), it caused infected systems to hang every Sept. 22, the birthdate of both Bilbo and Frodo from The Lord of the Rings. It displayed the words "Frodo Lives" while doing so.

The less-destructive Ambulance virus sends an ASCII-art ambulance across the screen, accompanied by a piercing siren. Q-Walker, which features an odd-looking gentleman striding across the screen, is at least in color.

Hypponen's personal favorite is Casino, which would force the victim to play a game -- if they won, they would get their files back, but if they lost, the malware would wipe their hard drive.

"The main difference is that most of the malware we find today is trying to make money," he said. "The majority is done by organized crime -- they make money with banking Trojans and ransom Trojans."

"The old things we look at today were written by teenage boys who were bored. None were trying to make money -- that's why they play music and have cartoon characters. They had no other motive than trying to make a point."

Of course, if old games are more your thing, then the Internet Archive has you covered on that front too. The 20-year-old project also notably launched an archive of political TV ads last month, to make sure nobody forgets candidates' promises.

This article was updated to include the interview with Hypponen.

David Meyer is a writer based in Berlin.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business News

DOGE Leaders Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy Say Mandating In-Person Work Would Make 'a Wave' of Federal Employees Quit

The two published an op-ed outlining their goals for their new department, including workforce reductions.

Real Estate

Why Real Estate Professionals Should Prioritize Social Responsibility

Integrating social responsibility into real estate can foster community change, build trust and drive long-term business success.

Business News

Here's How Much Money You Need to Make in Order to Be 'Successful,' According to Each Generation

A new survey by Empower outlines how Americans of different ages define success.

Starting a Business

Why Are So Many Course Creators Struggling if It's 'Such an Easy Business'? Here's the Truth Behind the $800 Billion Industry

Creating an online course is so easy — at least, that's what many "gurus" would like you to believe. There's a lot of potential in the $800 billion industry, but here's why so many course creators are struggling.

Growing a Business

Customers Want More Than Just a Product — Here's How to Meet Their Expectations

Creating a seamless, personalized experience is just as critical as having a great product or service, if not more so — it's the key to winning customers and keeping them loyal.

Franchise

McDonald's $5 Meal Deal Will Stay — And a New 'McValue Menu' Is on the Way in 2025

The McValue Menu is slated for a January 2025 debut and will feature a selection of budget-friendly items, allowing customers to customize meals at a lower cost.