What does the future hold for computer viruses? Will the anti-virus camp begin to win the battle, turning the virus growth curve the other direction? Most virus research groups do not believe this to be the case. Steve White recently presented a "retrospective" on viruses from 2000-2010, a fictional account of the virus landscape over the first decade of the new millennium.[1] He predicts that viruses will increasingly use the Internet as a medium for spreading, and that social engineering tactics will continue to be applied to trigger the initial outbreaks. The recent Palm virus[2] suggests that viruses may also begin to move into the wireless realm, painting the frightening possibility that computer viruses may one day spread like traditional viruses: through the air. As the power and ease of use of virus construction kits improves daily, we should expect to see younger, less-technologically inclined people creating and disseminating a greater number of more potent viruses. The future looks bright indeed - for the computer virus.

Sources  [Top]
1. Virus Bulletin 2010: A Retrospective by Steve R. White, presented at the Virus Bulletin Conference, September 2000

2. http://www.msnbc.com/news/452912.asp?cp1=1