Tyler Cross
Published on: November 24, 2024
Fact-checked by Kate Davidson
Though more of a historical relic than a real threat, the story of the Michelangelo virus is fascinating. In the wake of its discovery in 1991, the Michelangelo virus attracted more global attention than any virus that had come before. Fiendishly stealthy and capable of rendering infected devices basically useless, the Michelangelo virus posed a serious threat.
But even more significantly, the threat sparked a global conversation. Various companies, governments, and experts began to take computer viruses more seriously. Up-and-coming cybersecurity companies like Norton and
I put this article together to share the history of the Michelangelo virus and explain its legacy. I’ll go over what the virus does, how it works, how the world reacted, and explain why it doesn’t pose any threat today.
What Does the Michelangelo Virus Do?
The Michelangelo virus causes total data loss by preventing infected devices from booting up. A boot-sector virus, Michelangelo interferes with the processes that a DOS computer runs at startup. Once the virus is activated, any infected device is basically bricked.
But most of the time, it does nothing. The program’s creator made it so that Michelangelo only activates once a year on March 6th. This happens to be the day that the artist Michelangelo was born, hence the name researchers chose for the virus. As it lies dormant, the virus infects external drives (namely floppy disks) that are inserted into the infected computer. When these devices are inserted into other computers, the infection spreads.
Once activated, Michelangelo overrides essential data on your hard drive, rendering your computer unable to boot up. As a result, it’s basically impossible to retrieve data from the infected device.
The good news is that Michelangelo can only infect DOS computers, so unless you haven’t upgraded your PC since 1995, you can consider yourself safe. But when it was discovered in the early 90s, the vast majority of computers ran on some variant of DOS. As a result, any computer without countermeasures was at risk of massive data loss.
A Global Response to a Cybersecurity Threat
As news of the Michelangelo virus spread, concerned computer users sought solutions. At first, there was no way for users to see whether their devices had a dormant infection. Faced with the prospect of major data loss and with no way of knowing how far the virus had spread, many panicked.
Some analysts suggested users manually adjust their system clocks and jump straight from March 5th to the 7th. Obviously, this is an imperfect solution as it would require every computer user to perform an action. And anyone forgetting to move their clock back would be stuck with a device showing the wrong date.
Needless to say, people wanted a better solution. Luckily, antivirus companies were up to the task. McAfee and
As a result of widespread media coverage, companies and computer users all over the world took action, familiarizing themselves with the threat and adopting countermeasures provided by cybersecurity companies.
Ultimately, the Michelangelo virus did not have the impact many feared it would. Rather than millions of infections, no more than 20,000 cases were ever reported. Some in the media were even critical of analysts who predicted that the virus would cause massive disruptions
But the subsequent decades have only validated concerns about malware. Though Michelangelo had a relatively small impact, countless other cybersecurity threats have caused widespread harm in the years since. From the Zeus virus and costly ransomware to your everyday browser hijacker, the threats posed by malware are very real.
Is the Michelangelo Virus Still a Threat?
No, not really. The Michelangelo virus is a digital relic of the early 90s — we don’t even use DOS-based operating systems anymore. By the late 90s, reports of the virus became vanishingly rare.
If you find yourself starting up an ancient DOS-based device, there is a very small chance you could encounter the Michelangelo virus. It’s also theoretically possible that a DOS emulator could be infected, but you’d probably have to do this on purpose. And even then, there’d be no way for the infection to spread.
That said, there are plenty of modern viruses infecting all kinds of devices. If you don’t have a quality antivirus, you’re left exposed to tens of thousands of types of viruses that are significantly more advanced than the Michelangelo virus.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I be worried about the Michelangelo virus?
No. The Michelangelo virus affected DOS-based computers in the early 90s. Unless you’re still running a pre-Windows system (in which case, please for the love of all things cybersecurity get an upgrade), there’s practically no chance you can get infected.
That said, there are plenty of aggressive malware strains out there today that make the Michelangelo virus look like child’s play. You should still invest in a good antivirus like Norton to address modern threats, even if Michelangelo isn’t a threat.
When was the Michelangelo virus discovered?
This virus was first discovered in 1991, which was probably before some of you were born. It was the first major cybersecurity scare to rattle the world. Since the virus was set to activate once a year, people were originally very frightened of it dealing recurring damage to computers.
Cybersecurity companies took action to alert consumers to the risk and produced software to counter it. McAfee, for example, was one of the first antiviruses on the market to figure out how to beat the virus.
What is the best tool for removing the Michelangelo virus?
This is tough to answer as the Michelangelo virus isn’t a threat these days. Frankly, actually getting the virus would be a far bigger accomplishment than getting rid of it. Michelangelo only infects DOS devices and those have been obsolete for 30 years. That said, companies like McAfee and Norton developed software to remove the virus, so if you can locate an old DOS version of either of those it should do the trick.
How did the Michelangelo virus impact the world?
The Michelangelo virus may be the most important virus in history. It sparked the first global discourse about how serious cyber threats could be. Massive companies and governments began to understand that they would need to be serious about building defenses against malware.
Though the damage wasn’t as widespread as predicted, the Michelangelo virus raised awareness about cybersecurity and proved the efficacy of a good antivirus.
