Morris Worm

What does Morris Worm mean?

The Morris Worm, also known as the Great Worm, was a self-replicating computer worm that infected over 6,000 computer systems on the ARPANET in November 1988. It was created by Robert Tappan Morris, a graduate student at Cornell University. The worm was designed to explore the extent of the ARPANET and to find Vulnerabilities in its security. However, it quickly spread out of control, causing widespread disruption to the network.

The Morris Worm was the First major computer worm to be released on the Internet. It demonstrated the potential for worms to cause widespread damage and LED to the development of new security measures to protect computer systems.

The Morris Worm is a type of malware that can spread from one computer to another without human intervention. It does this by exploiting vulnerabilities in the software that runs on computers. Once a worm has infected a computer, it can replicate itself and spread to other computers on the network.

The Morris Worm was a relatively simple program, but it was very effective at spreading. It used a variety of techniques to infect computers, including exploiting a buffer overflow vulnerability in the Unix fingerd daemon. The worm would also try to guess the passwords of users on infected computers and use those passwords to log into other computers on the network.

The Morris Worm caused widespread disruption to the ARPANET. It slowed down the network and made it difficult for users to access files and other resources. The worm also caused some computers to crash.

In addition to the disruption it caused, the Morris Worm also raised concerns about the security of the Internet. It showed that it was possible for a single worm to infect a large number of computers and cause widespread damage. This led to the development of new security measures to protect computer systems from worms and other types of malware.

Applications

The Morris Worm has been used as a case study in computer security. It has helped researchers to understand how worms spread and how to protect computer systems from them.

The Morris Worm has also been used to demonstrate the importance of software Patches. The worm Exploited a vulnerability in the Unix fingerd daemon. This vulnerability had been known for several months, but many system administrators had not applied the patch that fixed it. As a result, the worm was able to spread quickly and easily.

The Morris Worm showed that it is important to keep software up-to-date. By applying patches, system administrators can help to protect their systems from worms and other types of malware.

History

The Morris Worm was created by Robert Tappan Morris, a graduate student at Cornell University. Morris was a talented programmer and was interested in exploring the extent of the ARPANET. He also wanted to find vulnerabilities in the security of the network.

Morris wrote the Morris Worm in the summer of 1988. He tested it on a small number of computers at Cornell University and then released it on the ARPANET in November 1988. The worm quickly spread out of control and infected over 6,000 computer systems.

The Morris Worm caused widespread disruption to the ARPANET. It slowed down the network and made it difficult for users to access files and other resources. The worm also caused some computers to crash.

In response to the Morris Worm, the FBI launched an investigation. Morris was eventually charged with violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. He was sentenced to three years of probation and 400 hours of community service.

The Morris Worm was a major turning point in the history of computer security. It showed that it was possible for a single worm to infect a large number of computers and cause widespread damage. This led to the development of new security measures to protect computer systems from worms and other types of malware.