This is a cooperative listing of viruses reported as being in the wild by 80 virus information professionals. The basis for these reports are virus incidents where a sample was received, and positively identified by the participant.  Rumors and unverified reports have been excluded.

Some programs included in this list may fall outside the traditional definition of a computer virus. However, such programs are spreading throughout diverse user populations, are a threat to users and are therefore included in this list.

This report is cumulative. That is, this is not just a report of which viruses were seen last month. Monthly data is received from most participants, but the new data is added to the old. Participants are expected to let us know when to remove their name from a virus.

The list should not be considered a list of "the most common viruses", however, since no specific provision is made for a commonness factor.

This data indicates only "which" viruses are In-the-Wild, but viruses reported by many (or most) participants are obviously widespread.

The WildList is currently being used as the basis for in-the-wild virus testing and certification of anti-virus products by the ICSA, Virus Bulletin and Secure Computing. Additionally, a virus collection based upon The WildList is being used in an effort to standardize the naming of common viruses.