Happy Birthday - Computer Virus

**Morgenmuffel** · 17-07-2007, 01:02 PM

See here from PCWorlds sister publication computerworld, I always thought the worlds first computer virus was the Stoned virus, well learn something new everyday

Stoned virus (aka NZs contribution to computing),
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoned_virus

**winmacguy** · 17-07-2007, 02:38 PM

It was a Unix virus created at Berkley U. CA

**Rob99** · 17-07-2007, 03:35 PM

Who would have thought an Apple would be the first to be hit by a virus.

I remember the stoned virus, probably the reason it was spread around so much is that people would knowingly pass it around to their mates. Viruses were a novelty back then.

**winmacguy** · 17-07-2007, 03:53 PM

Originally Posted by Rob99

Who would have thought an Apple would be the first to be hit by a virus.

Actually no one because the original Unix virus was created circa 1969 by a couple of Berkley students which is about 7 years before the first Apple computer appeared care of two Steve's (the Apple I in April of 1976). There were a couple of Macintosh Classic viruses that were transfered from machine to machine by floppy disk but these pre date OS X.

**winmacguy** · 17-07-2007, 04:02 PM

Originally Posted by Rob99

Who would have thought an Apple would be the first to be hit by a virus.

When the Elk Cloner virus was originally created in the US, Apple was one of the more common computers around.

**pcuser42** · 17-07-2007, 04:36 PM

Now MS has dominated, and no one bothers about Mac viruses.

**wratterus** · 17-07-2007, 04:41 PM

Originally Posted by pcuserwinxp

Now MS has dominated, and no one bothers about Mac viruses.

...Mac users suffer enough as it is - they don't need viruses on top of everything else.

**winmacguy** · 17-07-2007, 05:12 PM

Originally Posted by pcuserwinxp

Now MS has dominated, and no one bothers about Mac viruses.

If that were all it took, there would have been plenty of Mac viruses written already considering the bragging rights that the first person to write the successful virus would get...
....
Still waiting.

The only thing I suffer from is a lack of viruses.

**winmacguy** · 17-07-2007, 05:19 PM

It might be interesting to note that Win95 shipped with all ports open and no form of computer security at all because no one needed any or would want it, according to Microsoft. I gather that WinXP had the bulk of it's ports open by default - correct me if I am wrong.