Season 6 Episode 12 - Virus Anthropology

Hacking the Gibson

Viruses have been a part of computing history almost from the beginning. Programs that could hide on systems and replicate themselves onto other machines leapt from theory to actual code long before most people dreamed of having a computer in their homes. This week, we’re taking the long view, talking about the history of those early viruses. We’ll look at specific examples, trends in the types of programs we’ve seen, and the beginnings of the arms race between malicious software and antivirus protections.