What Was the First Computer Virus?

Ever wondered, What was the first computer virus?

I mean someone had to come up with the first computer virus. 

Well the story of the first computer virus is a fascinating story. The early days of computing was a time of great creativity. 

What is a Computer Virus? 

A computer virus is a type of malicious software. Thea idea is it replicates itself and spreads to other computers. Acting like a virus or cold in a human or animal. 

Computer viruses can corrupt files, steal data, or give hackers control.

Basically they are malicious in nature and designed to wreck the targeted system, network, or computer. 

What was the First Computer Virus?

Back in the early ’80s, the first computer virus was known as the “Creeper” made its debut.

Creeper was not malicious at least by today’s standards, but Creeper did set the stage for what the future would look like.

An ever evolving battle between virus creators and cybersecurity experts trying to patch security holes.

How Creeper Was Created and Spread

Creeper came to life in the early ’70s, not the ’80s as is often reported in computer lore.

Bob Thomas, working at BBN Technologies, developed it as an experiment on ARPANET, the precursor to the internet. Written for the Tenex operating system, Creeper played a sort of cat-and-mouse game.

Want to know something interesting about Creeper? Bob Thomas didn’t intend to harm anything.

It simply displayed the message, “I’M THE CREEPER, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!” on infected ARPANET systems.

The Creeper virus spread by hopping from one DEC PDP-10 computer to another via the ARPANET. This left a trail of playful chaos. So… if the idea wasn’t to harm anything, what was the intent?

Bob Thomas only wanted to demonstrate the possibility of a self-replicating computer program.

Imagine you were a systems operator in the early days of ARPNET reading that message. Annoying? Yes. Harmful? Not really.

This idea behind Creeper was revolutionary, at the time. Today displaying messages seems simple or kind of mundane. However, Thomas devised software that could move from one computer to another, replicating and copying itself. This showed the early concept of a what a computer virus could do. 

Creeper didn’t damage files or steal data, like much of today’s advanced computer viruses. However, it did lay the groundwork for more sinister code to follow.

What came after Creeper? Reaper

Creeper’s creation sparked a significant shift in the early days of the internet.

It seeded the idea that software could replicate and spread, like a virus.

How did they solve the issue of Creeper? 

Enter Reaper, the program designed to hunt down and delete Creeper. This means that Reaper was the first antivirus software ever. 

The concept of a computer virus and software to defend it only became more common.

Reaper marked the first defense against a computer virus, since this was the only time it was needed.

Viruses have of course evolved over the years, as did antivirus programs. By the late-’90s, companies like McAfee VirusScan became available, offering antivirus and computer scanning capabilities of any malware. Today, there are a host of leading antivirus and malware companies that offer software solutions. 

Modern Computer Viruses

We have seen an evolution from innocent messages to viruses such as WannaCry and Bitlocker.

Cybersecurity had to evolve rapidly to combat these more advanced threats.

The origins of cybersecurity awareness can be traced back to the early 1970s when the first computer security conference was held.

Since then, the importance of protecting digital information has only grown more important as our lives get more digital. As technology and computers have advanced, so have the tactics of cyber criminals.

Creeper’s antics on ARPANET might silly or simple quaint now, but it was the first. It set the precedent even though it was a playful experiment.

What Was the First Computer Virus?

Understanding the origins of computer viruses like Creeper and the subsequent development of antivirus programs provides a fun look back into internet and computer history. 

The early days of ARPANET and the swift creation of Reaper highlight how we want antivirus programs to work. Remove the bad and malicious software. 

What do you think of Creeper and Reaper?