10 Deadly Hacks That Made Headlines
First Internet Hack by Robert Morris
In 1988 Robert Tappan Morris a Cornell University graduate student created the first worm and unleashed the first worm attack on the Internet. Subsequently becoming the first person convicted under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
However Morris did not intend for any damage with the worm he said he just wanted to get an idea of the size of the web but unfortunately the worm began replicating itself at a far faster rate than he intended causing extensive damage. He released the worm using MIT’s systems to disguise the fact that he was a Cornell student.
Morris was indicted and found guilty in 1990. He was given a sentence of $10,050 fine, 400 hours of community service, and three-year probation. Interestingly the worm which he released got his own name ‘Morris Worm’
