Trivia

Hard

The First Computer Worm Was Called?

Creeper
Morris
Blaster
Conficker
A portion of a DEC system 1090 showing the KL10 CPU and MH10 memory cabinets.
Michael L. Umbricht (Retro-Computing Society of Rhode Island)/Wikimedia

Answer: Creeper

A computer worm is a form of stand alone computer malware that replicates itself, typically across a network, in order to spread itself to other computers. The very first computer worm was an experimental computer program written by Bob Thomas in 1971.

Thomas was working at BBN, a major contractor involved in the early development of ARPANET (the precursor of the modern Internet). Thomas’ version was designed to move itself from DEC PDP-10 mainframe terminal to mainframe terminal, outputting the text “I’M THE CREEPER; CATCH ME IF YOU CAN”. Ray Tomlinson, another early ARPANET engineer, modified the code so that Creeper didn’t just move itself, but left behind a copy giving it, in the process, the signature behavior of a modern computer worm.

After having their fun with the harmless worm (it didn’t manipulate system files, cause damage, or do anything malicious like modern worms do), Ray Tomlinson wrote a companion worm called “Reaper” that followed behind Creeper and deleted all instances of it.

In addition to being the first computer worm, Creeper (and its nemesis Reaper) served as the inspiration for the 1984 programming game Core War, which pitted battle programs against each other.

More Trivia Questions

Trivia

Hard

Parasitoid Wasps Prey Primarily On?

Trivia

Hard

The Armstrong Limit Is A Critical Consideration In Which Field?

Trivia

Easy

Which Classic Board Game Was Originally Paper Based?

Trivia

Hard

Daniel Stern, Best Known For The Role Of Marv In “Home Alone”, Was Also The Narrator Of?

Trivia

Easy

In Which Country Can You Be Fined For Leaving Your Wi-Fi Unsecured?

Trivia

Hard

The Baggy Basketball Shorts Trend Was Started By Which Professional Basketball Player?

Trivia

Very Hard

The Sci-Fi Term “Metahuman” Was Coined By?

Trivia

Hard

Which Movie Featured A Different Ending Depending On Which Theater You Saw It In?

Trivia

Hard

The Golden Gate Bridge Was Originally Slated To Be Painted What Color?

Trivia

Easy

Individuals Suffering From Grapheme Synesthesia Experience What?