THE FIRST VIRUS AND OTHER NOT-SO-GREAT MOMENTS IN THE HISTORY OF COMPUTER MISCHIEF

Malware—viruses, worms, Trojan horses and the like—has been around about as long as the first networked computers. In fact, 2011 is the 40th anniversary of the first known computer virus, a laboratory experiment that didn't cause damage but proved to be a harbinger of the risks to come. Here is a brief timeline showing some of the milestones in the history of computer mischief.

1971: Creeper

The first known virus-like program was written by an employee of a Cambridge, Mass., company that built part of Arpanet, the predecessor to the Internet. The program was a lab test to see whether it was possible to create a self-replicating bit of software.

1982: Elk Cloner

A junior-high student came up with the first self-propagating program released outside the lab. The program spread via floppy disks on old Apple II computers—displaying a short poem on infected machines.

1983: Virus

The term "virus" is coined by researcher Fred Cohen, at the time a Ph.D. student at the University of Southern California, to describe self-replicating programs.

1987: Jerusalem

Named for the place it was first detected, this was the first destructive virus that spread around the globe. It affected computers running the DOS operating system, deleting some programs in an infected machine on Friday the 13th.

1992: Michelangelo

This virus was designed to activate on March 6, the painter's birthday. Its discovery caused a minor frenzy among security experts who warned that millions of computers could crash on that date, The fear proved overblown.

Mid-1990s: 
Phishing

Phishing, used by hackers to collect confidential information by pretending to be a trustworthy source, first appears. The tactic was groundbreaking because it doesn't rely on malware; instead it takes advantage of computer users' gullibility to collect information like credit-card numbers and passwords.

1999-2001: Melissa/ 
I Love You/ 
Anna Kournikova

These viruses spread to millions of computers around the globe by tricking recipients into opening an emailed file—a Microsoft Word document, a link or a photo—that contained a program that sent messages to people in the infected computers' contact lists.

2001: Code Red

The virus infected Web servers; websites hosted by the servers found their home pages replaced by the message "Hacked by the Chinese." The virus was also designed to overload the White House website with a flood of messages from the infected servers, an attack that was easily foiled.

2004: Sasser

This was the first Internet worm, or self-replicating virus, whose effects were felt outside Internet-connected systems. Traveling over the Internet instead of via email, it affected more than a million computer systems and was blamed for airline flight cancellations and interruptions in satellite communications. Businesses around the globe temporarily abandoned their infected computers.

2005: MyTob

This worm marks a turning point in the history of malware, says Guillaume Lovet, senior manager of the threat-response team at Fortinet Inc., an Internet security company. Distributed through mass emails, MyTob created a "botnet" network of controlled computers that could be used to distribute spam, install spyware or launch phishing attacks. Although botnets were not new, MyTob was one of the first to combine a botnet and a mass mailer, and set the stage for hackers using malware for monetary gain, not just to cause mischief.

 

2010: Stuxnet

This sophisticated computer worm is an example of malware as a cyberweapon. Spread through USB devices and other methods, the virus was designed to affect the operation of specialized industrial-control systems. Although not conclusive, evidence collected by security researchers strongly suggests that Stuxnet's attack was aimed at centrifuges used to enrich uranium for Iran's nuclear program.

COMMENTARY:  Computer viruses have been around for a long, long time — pretty much as long as personal computing and mainstream software development — and they’ve been making international news since the Internet graduated from a researcher’s toy to a tool for consumers.

If you’ve ever wondered what the first viruses were like and just how bad or dangerous they were, this infographic should be an interesting read for you. And the Space Invaders graphics will be easy on your nerdy eyes, too.

While the first virus in this brief history coincided with the birth of the 3.5-inch floppy disk, a lot of the malware we see these days relies on social media or mobile apps for transmission, adequate proof (as if any was needed) that with any innovation comes an opportunity for exploitation.

The twist these days is that more viruses are specifically targeted to steal personal data and make money for their creators, which was not necessarily a goal for many of the virus-writing hackers of the late 1980s and early 1990s. In fact, according to this data, the first money-making computer virus didn’t hit PCs until 2003.

Take a look at this chart, then go update your virus software and change your passwords. And as always, let us know what you think in the comments.

This infographic comes to us from information security firm F-Secure.

   

Click Image To Enlarge

Symantec, the folks that developed Norton Antivirus software created the following infographic that shows the extent of cybercrimes throughout the world:

 

 Click Image To Enlarge 

The following infographic provides a valuable insight into the different types of computer viruses that exist today:

Source Computer Virus

Are you looking for antivirus software?  Top Ten Reviews compiled this valuable review of the top antivirus software HERE.  Hope this information helps.

Courtesy of an article dated September 26, 2011 appearing in The Wall Street Journal and an article dated March 18, 2011 appearing in Mashable

Comments

[job hunting blog]

It is broken but become a harbinger of the threats to come. Here is a brief schedule displaying some of the goals in the record pc issues.

[Computer Repairs Melbourne]

Computer-virus

Malware—viruses, worms, Trojan horses and the like—has been around about as long as the first networked computers. In fact, 2011 is the 40th anniversary of the first known computer virus, a laboratory experiment that didn't cause damage but proved to be a harbinger of the risks to come. Here is a brief timeline showing some of the milestones in the history of computer mischief.

[Carlene Schnitzer]

I like the 70's Viruses. Bob Thomas did a great job in creating "Creeper." LOL, Now that's the mother of all viruses! LOL. I wonder if any of those still exist.

[johnmar]

computer viruses 100% Activated system alert!!!!