Changes in Cybersecurity Since the Early Days of the Web

Often, computer users assume that today’s prevalence of viruses, malware, and other threats are a new development. To an extent, this is true — malware has indeed increased in frequency and strength over the years. But hackers and their malicious creations have existed almost since the dawn of the World Wide Web. Indeed, the first online worm was hatched in 1989! As the Internet grew and developed, so did the amount of risks to online users, and cybersecurity was forced to keep pace.

These days, handling the aftermath of a security breach is as important as preventing one. Of course, there are many firewalls, virus detectors, and scanners you can use to ease your mind and stay protected against future malware. However, in 2017, online crime’s sophistication level is so high that these attacks can’t always be predicted. Read on to discover a short history of online threats — and how cybersecurity efforts have battled them!

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1989: The First Worm is Born

Robert Morris designed the world’s first online worm in 1989. His denial-of-service attack (DoS) was so ruthless that it managed to compromise a lot of the web. This initial virus helped create the infrastructure for a first round of cybersecurity. Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) were founded to immediately combat any malicious threats as they appeared. During this time, the earliest virus scans and firewalls started to be developed, too.

1990s: The Earliest Viruses

Remember the viruses called ILOVEYOU and Melissa? By attacking email accounts, this wicked duo infected millions of computers worldwide. In the 1990s, users weren’t as aware of spam attachments and links. So, everyone was more vulnerable to these attacks, since phishing attempts were far more likely to succeed. People were just clicking on whatever landed in their inbox, whether from a friend or an unknown address. In the aftermath of Melissa and ILOVEYOU, improved cybersecurity technology was built to identify viruses before they began wreaking havoc.

2000s: Online Identity Theft

After the new millennium, an onslaught of online identity thefts occurred. Hackers were targeting credit cards, specifically. The effects were devastating, since millions of dollars had to be returned to the affected victims. Since these breaches were largely occurring at American retailers like TJ Maxx and Target, companies had to invest in improved cybersecurity to protect their customers’ transactions. Point-of-sales (POS) are now heavily safeguarded to avoid losing millions of dollars — along with their customers’ hard-earned trust.