in the wild - technical definition

Refers to viruses that have been not contained. Although tens of thousands of viruses have been unleashed, most of them have been eradicated and exist only in computer labs for research purposes. However, at any given time, there may be a couple hundred viruses that are still "in the wild" contaminating computer systems of unsuspecting users. For more information, visit The WildList Organization International at www.wildlist.org.