A Brief History of Computer Viruses and How to Stay Protected
The Evolution of Computer Viruses For over 50 years, computer viruses have continued to evolve. As the digital age has advanced, viruses have become increasingly sophisticated, creating an ongoing battle between cybercriminals and anti-virus software developers worldwide. This constant “cat and mouse” game has shaped the modern cybersecurity landscape. The First Computer Viruses The Creeper System (1971) The first known computer virus, the Creeper System, was created in 1971 by a technology company in the United States. Its sole purpose was to replicate itself and fill a computer’s hard drive to capacity, eventually causing the system to stop functioning. Brain Virus (1986) In 1986, the Brain virus was introduced as a copy protection mechanism for MS-DOS. Instead of protecting software, it prevented computers from booting up entirely. The Morris Worm (1988) In 1988, a graduate student developed the Morris worm to measure the size of the internet. The virus infected…
