In 1971, the first self-replicating virus (called Creeper) was unleashed across the ARPANET as a proof of concept. The virus itself was not designed to do any harm, but instead simply highlighted potential vulnerabilities in mainframe computers across the network. More humorous than destructive, this malware was mostly an annoyance, displaying the message “I’M THE CREEPER, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN” on infected systems. However, it did showcase the serious destructive potential for self-replicating malware in the future.

 

Unfortunately, long gone are the days of “joke” malware, since modern malware is no laughing matter. Today, ransomware is one of the fastest-growing threats in the cybersecurity industry, designed to not only self-propagate, but encrypt all files or entire systems across a network.