The Origins of Cybercrime.
Understand the history of cybercrime and ransomware as told by cybersecurity professionals, ransomware victims, and law enforcement officials.
When it comes to cybercrime, many people think of hacking and identity theft. However, the origins of cybercrime go back much further. Cybercrime dates back to the earliest days of computers and networks.
The origins of cybercrime can be traced back to the late 1960s and early 1970s. At this time, computers were just beginning to become commonplace. This provided criminals with new opportunities to exploit and manipulate computer systems.
One of the earliest examples of cybercrime was the 1971 hacker incident known as the ‘Creeper virus’. The Creeper virus was a computer program written by a hacker that would spread from one computer to another via a network. The virus was designed to display the message ‘I’m the creeper, catch me if you can!’ on the affected computers.
The Creeper virus was eventually stopped by a program known as the Reaper. This program was written by famous computer scientist Bob Thomas and was designed to search for the Creeper virus and delete it from infected computers.
Another early example of cybercrime was the 1981 ‘Wazzu’ virus. This virus was written by two hackers and was designed to spread through the ARPANET network. The virus was designed to delete files on the affected computers and was responsible for the first instance of computer sabotage.
The Wazzu virus was eventually stopped by a program called the ‘Cure’ which was written by the same two hackers who created the virus.
These early examples of cybercrime illustrate how the landscape of cybercrime has evolved over time. As technology continues to advance, so do the methods and techniques used by criminals to exploit and manipulate computer systems. Cybercrime is now a global problem and is one of the most significant threats to our digital security.