Computer Viruses: How Did It All Start?
Don’t panic! This isn’t about the virus you’re thinking of. We’re shifting focus from the one that is still captivating headlines to talking about computer viruses and in particular, when the first computer virus was created, how it spread to multiple computers, and the full history behind how computer viruses came to be.
There are a few computer viruses that claim to be the first that was created: Creeper System, Brain, and The Morris. After some investigative research, we uncovered that each of them was indeed first at something, but not necessarily the first computer virus to have ever been created. So let's discuss each of these computer viruses more in-depth to learn what they were used for and why they were created.
First up, the Creeper System. It was released in 1971 and was an experimental, self-replicating virus that filled up the computer's hard drive until it couldn’t operate anymore. The virus was created by Bob Thomas, a programmer at BBN technologies here in the United States.
Next up, Brain. It was released in 1986, and was the first computer virus created specifically for the Microsoft Disk Operating System (MS-DOS). The virus would overwrite the boot sector on the floppy disk and prevent the computer from booting. This computer virus was created by two brothers from Pakistan and was originally designed as a copy protection.
Finally, The Morris. It was released in 1988, and was the first computer virus to actually spread extensively. Created by Robert Morris, who at the time was a graduate student at Cornell University. His objective was to use the virus to determine the size of the internet. Due to a programming mistake, the computer virus spread too fast and interfered in the normal operations of computers. The Morris computer virus spread to 15,000 computers in fifteen hours, which back then was most of the internet.
These are just a few of the first computer viruses to actually be created! But how big is the impact of computer viruses today with all the cybersecurity measures that are in place? Have they become more dangerous, or for the most part, irrelevant?
With technology advancing more rapidly every year, viruses and malware are still a threat – regardless if it’s a new viral threat or improvements made upon previous ones. In fact, 350,000 news pieces of malware are detected every day and over seven billion malware attacks were reported in 2019.
These incredibly high numbers show how vulnerable our tech can actually be, but there are ways to protect your computer. Check out these tips to keep your computer safe.
DID YOU KNOW?
Back in May 2020, a 20-year-old computer virus reemerged, affecting approximately 10 percent of the internet.
Do you remember the first virus you got on your computer? Let us know in the comments below.