The WildList was established in July 1993 by anti-virus researcher Joe Wells, was subsequently published monthly by the WildList Organization and is now published by ICSA Labs (part of TrueSecure Corporation). It aims to keep track of which viruses are spreading in the real world (the WildList FAQ cites the WildList as ‘the world’s authority on which viruses users should really be concerned with’).

Detection of 'in the wild' viruses, as defined by the WildList, has become the de facto measure by which anti-virus products are judged. Fee-based anti-virus certification tests, most notably ICSA Labs. and West Coast Labs, are based on detection of WildList samples. In addition, the Virus Bulletin ‘VB100%’ is awarded on the basis of a product's ability to detect WildList viruses.

However, in today’s wired world, there’s a higher risk of being hit by new malware, with around 80% of new malicious programs being found in the field, not just in so-called ‘zoo’ collections. As a result, the WildList has become somewhat outmoded as a measure of the real threat.