In this period it is difficult to talk about computer viruses, but I try the same as the topic interests many of us, especially in a time like this in which we are forced to work from home (so-called telework) with the means that we have available.
In particular, attention must be paid to those behaviors induced due to the lack of knowledge of computer science or the spread of "modern fairy tales".
Several readers have asked me questions about viruses (IT, it is clear), in particular on the alleged immunity of Apple and Linux systems. I repeat "alleged immunity", as things are different.
For the hasty reader, let's say right away that Apple and Linux are not immune to viruses.
Now, aware that those who keep reading are not in the category of hasty readers, we see some cases and try to understand what is behind this rumor that continues to circulate.
The first virus found on the net in 1971 was called Creeper, and was written by Bob Thomas who worked for BBN technologies, spread through what would become today's Internet, then Arpanet.
The operating systems of the computers connected to it were… no, it wasn't Windows! Also because the company was born in 1975 and will start dealing with operating systems in 1980, with the OS xenix (a version of Unix) and then with MS-DOS, Windows still didn't exist!
The first virus instead, as we said, was older having been created in 1971. The operating systems that ran on the computers on the network were various, we remember that the first connection between two computers was made only two years earlier between a Sigma SDS 7 (Scientific Data Systems) 32-bit and a 940-bit SDS 24. Computers of this series were equipped with BPM / BTM (Batch Processing Monitor / Batch Timesharing Monitor) operating systems.
Creeper, in particular, it was the result of an experiment and was designed and built to run on the PDP-10 that used the SO TENEX.
The company where Bob Thomas then worked (BBN technologies) is today a subsidiary of Raytheon and worked on research and development projects based in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
To see a better known virus we have to get to 1986, when "Brain" began to circulate. In those years the first Personal Computers began to circulate in Italy and I received my first "monster" at the end of a summer of work with my uncle in 1987, it was an Olivetti Prodest PC 128 S.
Returning to Brain, this virus was created by Amjad Farooq Alvi and Basit Farooq Alvi and infected, perhaps by mistake, the MS-DOS Operating Systems (the Microsoft version of DOS).
The first virus that became widespread was called "The Morris", and spread in 1988. The author was a student from Cornell University (Robert Morris) who had created a program with the intention of measuring the size of the Internet of the time counting computers and network devices. Most of these computers were part of research centers, universities and large government organizations and had operating systems on board the Unix family, the parent of Linux!
Robert Morris created a virus capable of spreading over the Internet in a few hours, infecting 15.000 computers in about 15 hours.
Since then things have changed. In particular with the advent of Personal Computers and the spread of the Internet.
Microsoft systems over time conquered the world market and today are still the majority, this is the main reason for the enormous spread of viruses on Microsoft OS (even if not the only one!).
In recent years, Linux OS families have followed Unix, much more Friendly and consequently more widespread than the old Unix. This has led to an increase in the spread of viruses also on Linux and Unix OS.
As for Apple, just remember that the Mac OS is called MacOS and was born from a version of Unix, in practice he is a cousin of Linux. The same considerations therefore apply: also i MacOS they can be attacked by viruses.
I do not want to go into the merits of which operating system is "safer", this deserves a lot of space and this is not the time.
I want to conclude by pointing out an interesting study on Linux malware for fans of the subject: "Understanding Linux Malware", by Cozzi, Graziano, Fratantonio and Balzarotti. In the study, which analyzes 10548 samples of Linux malware collected in one year, part of the responsibility for the growth of "Linux like" OS viruses is attributed to the growth of devices embedded.
In conclusion, the "fairy tale" that "Unix Like" and "Apple" systems cannot be attacked by viruses is, in fact, nothing more than a fairy tale!
To learn more:
- https://content.sentrian.com.au/blog/a-short-history-of-computer-viruses
- https://reyammer.io/publications/2018_oakland_linuxmalware.pdf
- https://www.difesaonline.it/evidenza/cyber/perché-non-esiste-un-antivirus-universale
