When did computer viruses really start?

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Article #1949

#1949

From: William LeFebvre
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 1989 01:23

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I heard someone on the news today more or less state that computer viruses
were a very recent thing (within the last 5 years).  I have a very strong
feeling that this is wrong.  Can anyone tell me when the term "virus" was
first used in the context of computers?  Can you give me references?

In an interview on NPR's "All Things Considered", this author, Susan
Sontag (sp?), was trying to point out how America currently has an
obsession with medical diseases, given the current AIDS problem.  She
pointed to the usage of the term "computer virus" as one indication of
this.  She went on to say that if this type of computer activity had
happened 5 or 10 years ago, it would have been called something else.

Anyone got any refuting information?  Anyone also hear the interview and
think that I'm off base or that I misheard her?

			William LeFebvre
			Department of Computer Science
			Rice University
			<phil@Rice.edu>

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Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!ames!mailrus!cornell!uw-beaver!rice!phil
From: phil@titan.rice.edu (William LeFebvre)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.misc
Subject: When did computer viruses really start?
Message-ID: <2479@kalliope.rice.edu>
Date: 25 Jan 89 01:23:36 GMT
Sender: usenet@rice.edu
Reply-To: phil@rice.edu (William LeFebvre)
Organization: Rice University, Houston
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