Author Archives: Jay Stamford
The Origin Of The Term Computer Virus
Before you buy antivirus or antispyware software you might want to understand a little more about the origins of viruses and spywares. In 1983, Fred Cohen started the term “computer virus”, postulating a virus was “a application that can ‘infect’ additional products by modifying them to comprise a perhaps advanced replica of itself.” Mr. Cohen expanded his description a year later in his 1984 document, “A Computer Virus”, noting that “a virus can spread right through a computer operating system or network using the authorizations of each user utilizing it to contaminate their packages. Every program that gets contaminated may perhaps also act as a virus and in consequence the infectivity grows.” Continue reading