History of Computer Viruses

If observed, the development of viruses from time to time continue to attract, is associated with the development of computer technology / information technology is growing rapidly. historical development of the virus itself is interesting enough to follow.

Unfortunately there is no certainty when it was first discovered computer viruses. There are sources who say that the history of the virus originated in 1949 when John Von Neuman, expressed "self-altering automata theory" which is the result of research by mathematicians. Later in the year 1960 experts in the lab BELL (AT & T) to experiment with the theory expressed by John V Neuman, they toyed with the theory to a type of game / game. The researchers make a program that can reproduce itself and can destroy your opponent artificial program. Programs that can survive and destroy all other programs, it will be considered a winner. This game eventually became a favorite game in each and every computer lab. the longer they are also aware and wary of this game due to start the program that created more and more dangerous, so they conduct surveillance and strict security.

Meanwhile Virus Scan Software Virus was first discovered in the early 1970s in which th two computer programs named Pervading Animal and Christmas Tree-based system to infect Univac 1108 and IBM 360/370. Because nature does not destroy, the two programs as the virus is not yet known.

However, other sources such as wikipedia mentions a computer program called "Elk Cloner" is believed to be the first computer virus created Screnta Rich in 1982 and spread on the Apple operating system Disk Operating System (DOS) version 3.3 via floppy disk media

In 1987 came a new type of virus which started to implement the replication algorithm in the program code. Call it the Leigh, a virus that infects command.com file is successfully transmitted to many DOS operating system. It appears that many who were inspired by The Leigh this, because next year the virus appeared in Jerusalem, which infect only Date 13 per month. Jerusalem is known as the first virus that causes categorized damaged computer. This virus remove programs that are running on the date of transmission.

Due to the development of this virus is considered disturbing the user computer, start looking for ways to prevent these malicious programs from independent developers create programs to eliminate or stop the activity of the virus, which was then known as the antivirus. The first big company that makes antivirus is norton Symantec antivirus products in th 1990.

Uniquely, so antivirus found, the virus development becomes even more-so. In 1992 there were 1300 active viruses infecting computers worldwide, an increase of 420% from the year 1990. if at the beginning of virus development program file into the main target, th 1995 virus comes with a different transmission method. Microsoft production document files (Microsoft Word) became the new target viruses that exploit weaknesses of the existing macro features in Microsoft programs, so the virus is known as macro viruses.

Subsequent development of computer viruses began to glance at the spread of the Internet media as the basis for their program. The idea of the spread of this virus originated from the success of the Melissa virus (W97M/Melissa) micro-files that exploit the weakness that is inserted into the e-mail, because by then many e-Mail users who use e-mail client applications such as Outlook, and save the recipient's contact there Melissa spread so easily to the existing list box.

The development of this virus continues to be concentrated on the dissemination via the Internet, because apart quickly deployed, the virus can also steal data using the same media. However, unlike its predecessor, a virus that is currently not in fact have, or may deliberately not focused on destroying the system. Some viruses simply show off in the past the antivirus program.

Name the new generation of viruses carried by any part to shift. Now the virus already has a brother-in-arms called worms and trojans. Whatever the name or designation program "this tiny, main ideas aimed at disturbing the normal system running.