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DP15 First Computer Fraud Conviction: Morris Worm
The Internet began hitting it’s stride in 1983 when ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) adopted TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol) into it’s systems. At the time they called it the “network of networks” which evolved into the modern internet.
But only five years later from that creation, something else was being made that sparked a chain reaction that is still relevant to this day: computer worms.
In 1988, Robert Morris created a worm and released it to computer systems within MIT on November 2. The worm originally wasn’t designed to cause any damage, but rather to highlight security flaws.
The worm was meant to suggest that Morris studied at MIT and also exposed some system vulnerabilities like weak passwords. Not only that, but it was intended to enter a computer once and to stay away if a computer told the worm there was already a worm in it.
Unfortunately, a mistake in the programming was that Morris gave the worm a 1 in 7 odds of multiplying itself and infecting a computer regardless of the system’s response. What should have been an easily solvable program became a threat to multiple systems.
As a result, the worm infected 6,000 computers to the point that the computers couldn’t function. This was a result of the worm multiplying so much in a system it slowed down the infected computer. According to the Government Accountability Office, the damages were estimated to be between $100,000 and $10 million.
Despite the good intentions at first, Morris’s name has been placed on this virus which we know as the Morris worm. He was also the first person convicted under the US Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
But what’s even worse is that the Morris worm provided the framework for every other worm virus that is created today.
Despite the intent for the virus to be helpful in the beginning, hackers still use this technique in various and nefarious methods. Worms have become more sophisticated with one famous example being Stuxnet. It’s a worm that evolved into a cyber weapon that we are still dealing with today.
Lesser known worms have similar characters to the Morris worm: multiplying and filling up file space. Some even delete files which is a sign that your computer may be infected.
It goes to show that despite people’s good intentions, it’s important for people to exercise caution. While not all of us are developing computer programs, one professional mentioned that Morris should’ve tried it on a simulator first.
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By dpappThe Internet began hitting it’s stride in 1983 when ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) adopted TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol) into it’s systems. At the time they called it the “network of networks” which evolved into the modern internet.
But only five years later from that creation, something else was being made that sparked a chain reaction that is still relevant to this day: computer worms.
In 1988, Robert Morris created a worm and released it to computer systems within MIT on November 2. The worm originally wasn’t designed to cause any damage, but rather to highlight security flaws.
The worm was meant to suggest that Morris studied at MIT and also exposed some system vulnerabilities like weak passwords. Not only that, but it was intended to enter a computer once and to stay away if a computer told the worm there was already a worm in it.
Unfortunately, a mistake in the programming was that Morris gave the worm a 1 in 7 odds of multiplying itself and infecting a computer regardless of the system’s response. What should have been an easily solvable program became a threat to multiple systems.
As a result, the worm infected 6,000 computers to the point that the computers couldn’t function. This was a result of the worm multiplying so much in a system it slowed down the infected computer. According to the Government Accountability Office, the damages were estimated to be between $100,000 and $10 million.
Despite the good intentions at first, Morris’s name has been placed on this virus which we know as the Morris worm. He was also the first person convicted under the US Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
But what’s even worse is that the Morris worm provided the framework for every other worm virus that is created today.
Despite the intent for the virus to be helpful in the beginning, hackers still use this technique in various and nefarious methods. Worms have become more sophisticated with one famous example being Stuxnet. It’s a worm that evolved into a cyber weapon that we are still dealing with today.
Lesser known worms have similar characters to the Morris worm: multiplying and filling up file space. Some even delete files which is a sign that your computer may be infected.
It goes to show that despite people’s good intentions, it’s important for people to exercise caution. While not all of us are developing computer programs, one professional mentioned that Morris should’ve tried it on a simulator first.