Why do people make virus's?

Answer 1

Because they can. (Sorry for the simplicity of that answer, but it's a bit like when they asked Mallory why he wanted to climb Everest and he said 'Because it's there).

More to the point, I read an interview with a Filipino who'd been responsible for the design of one of the more detsructive viruses. The burden of his answer was: 'We'll never be a great economic power, and we can never compete on the world stage, but at least some of us *can* do something that makes an impact that makes other people sit up and take notice.'

You can observe the need to use 'spoiling power' in many human interactions - the thinking goes 'I can't win, but I can stop you winning.' You see it at work in some industrial relations confrontations, for example, when people seem to be taking action that's logically against their own interests but is satisfying emotionally because it makes life difficult for an employer they resent. Or closer to home, you see it in a number of child-custody battles, where the two ex-spouses are more intent on bringing each other down than they are concerned for the welfare of the child. It's all part of the rich and sometimes unpleasant tapestry of human behaviour.

Answer 2

There are a lot of reasons, many of them detailed above.
One that has not been proposed is a more fundamental one:
Designing (writing) a virus is NOT easy. In fact, it is extremely difficult. Virus writers are challenging the machine!
It is the thrill of the difficulty(ies) that drives them. They have been told it is impossible nowadays. So they do it!
In fact, many viruses do not have "payload" (something that damages your machine or exploit your data). They would just show a screen saying "Gotcha!". Man versus the Machine.
Of course, once you beat the machine (or the system), temptation to do more for gain becomes tangible, and virus writers become thiefs. When caught, they pay the price, prison or worse. When released, they become the targets of big organisations (banks, financial institutions, governments), who offer them serious money to do the contrary to what they were doing: prevent hackers entering their system! They become "White Hackers", working for the "good guys". Others will continue on the wrong path and work for the underground (porn etc), hacking willingly on machines for company profits.
Some companies have even designed virus to sell ... anti-viruses products.
A few years ago, a university graduate wanted a PhD for creating a dreadful virus, and could not understand WHY the University refused his thesis! He went underground.
Still is.
Like many others that were (are) never caught.
Human nature.

Answer 3

ok firstly I take serious serious offense to everyone who just said spotty nerd or socially troubled. That is 100% stereotyping . I am betting none of you have made a virus or even know enough about computers to acutally make one. So just stop right now. Those are guesses. I am computer tech/ certified ethical hacker. I do infact created and write virus programs. I do not do it because I am a nerd I am surely not spotted and I am not an asshole who wants to destroy your computer nor am I a social outcast. I write them to understand security exploits in operating systems. To build upon my programming ability and to further more understand the nature of computer programs . How do you think anti virus programs are created. You have to understand what you are dealing with to learn how to defend against it. So further more there are many different reasons a person would create something such as a virus. The same could be said as to why we created guns. So for those whom think a hacker is the only person who creates a virus think again.

Answer 4

Its a lot to do with being anti-establishment. Most viruses are aimed at Microsoft products as the "writers" despise the fact that one person owns and controls them all. The American government couldn,t even do anything about it. It was considered to be breaking Bill Gates rights under one of their constitutions

Answer 5

Virus makers(Hackers,ID Thieves and people who are MAD!) Don't have anything to do.There so bored and angry they want to cause damage.And want all your personal details to commit crime.

If you to to the Norton(Symantec) Website there is a page on CyberCrime and Its Victims.

Answer 6

Mental deficiency

Answer 7

its gotta b a conspiricy to bill gates. i have never had a virus on my mac

Answer 8

Because they are evil assoles that want to injure people and their computers. They do it because they are cowards and you cant give them the beating that they deserve.

Answer 9

because they like the idea of messing other people's pcs

Answer 10

personally i think they are sad and have nothing better to do, than mess up somebodys belobgings