25 years of computer viruses in pictures

F-Secure has produced a graphical summary that shows some of the most talked-about computer viruses.

You can view the entire 'infographic' or download a high-resolution version from F-Secure's blog.

To summarise, quickly, the history starts with Brain; runs through the likes of Melissa, Code Red and Love Letter (aka ILoveYou); and concludes with Stuxnet and Conficker.

Interestingly the chart includes Sony's used of rootkit-like technology. This not a virus, but uses an approach also used by some malware. Additionally, many of the other threats are actually worms rather than viruses.