The Rise of the Morris Worm

The Morris Worm, released in 1988, marked a pivotal event in the history of computer security. It was not the first worm, but it gained significant public awareness and highlighted major vulnerabilities in early internet systems. The worm infected computers by exploiting software flaws and weak passwords, causing networks to slow down dramatically and even crash. As it spiraled out of control, many institutions, including the Department of Defense, took drastic actions to unplug from the internet to prevent further damage.