Ghostball (computer virus)
First discovered multipartite virus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ghostball was the first multipartite virus discovered.[1] The virus was discovered in October 1989, by Friðrik Skúlason. The virus is capable of infecting both executable .COM-files and boot sectors.
Original authorUnknown
Initial releaseOctober 1989
PredecessorModified Vienna (COM file-infecting code), Ping-Pong virus (boot sector-infecting section)
| Ghostball | |
|---|---|
| Original author | Unknown |
| Initial release | October 1989 |
| Operating system | DOS |
| Predecessor | Modified Vienna (COM file-infecting code), Ping-Pong virus (boot sector-infecting section) |
| Type | Computer virus, malware, multipartite virus, file virus, boot virus |
The virus was written up based on code from two different viruses. The code that is capable of infecting COM files is stated to be inspired from a modified version of the Vienna virus. The section of the virus that is capable of infecting boot sectors is extracted from the Ping-Pong virus.
See also
- Timeline of notable computer viruses and worms
- Computer virus
- Malware
- Multipartite virus
