On this day, April 26th, 1999, the CIH virus, also known as the Chernobyl virus, triggered its destructive payload, causing significant damage to computers around the world. This virus was first discovered in Taiwan and quickly spread to other countries, infecting an estimated 60 million computers worldwide. The virus was named after the infamous Chernobyl nuclear disaster, which occurred on the same day in 1986, as it was programmed to activate on April 26th, overwriting crucial data and causing irreparable damage to infected machines.

The CIH virus was designed to attack the BIOS of a computer, which is responsible for starting up and loading the operating system. Once the virus infected a machine, it would overwrite the BIOS code, rendering the computer unable to boot up. In some cases, the virus would also overwrite the data on the hard drive, causing permanent data loss. This destructive behavior earned the virus a place in history as one of the most damaging computer viruses ever created. The virus caused significant financial losses for individuals and businesses alike and highlighted the importance of antivirus software and regular data backups.

Read more about the CIH virus.