Creeper Virus (1971)
🔹 Who created it?
- Developed by Bob Thomas at BBN Technologies (USA).
- Written for TENEX operating system on DEC PDP-10 computers.
🔹 What did it do?
- It was a self-replicating program (so it’s considered the first computer virus).
- Instead of harming files, it moved between computers on the ARPANET (early internet).
- When it ran, it displayed this message:
I'M THE CREEPER : CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!
🔹 How it spread?
- Exploited remote connections on ARPANET.
- Unlike modern viruses, it didn’t stay on one machine – it “hopped” from one system to another.
🔹 First Antivirus – Reaper
- Another program called Reaper was written specifically to find and delete Creeper.
- This makes “Reaper” the first antivirus software in history.
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