How the First Computer Virus Was Created

In 1983, a 23-year-old graduate student named Fred Cohen presented a proof-of-concept program that could replicate itself and attach to other software. His advisor, Leonard Adleman, called it a 'computer virus.' This episode traces the origin of the very first self-replicating code, from Cohen's academic experiments on a VAX 11/750 to the spread of the Morris worm in 1988 that brought the internet to its knees. We explore how a theoretical idea in computer science became a real-world threat, and how early antivirus tools like the floppy-based 'Reaper' tried to fight back. Lucas and Luna unpack the ethical questions that emerged when a harmless academic demonstration opened the door to digital epidemics. #ComputerVirus #FredCohen #LeonardAdleman #MorrisWorm #CyberSecurity #MalwareHistory #VAX11750 #Unix #SelfReplicatingCode #Antivirus #Reaper #RobertMorris #InternetHistory #CyberAttack #TechHistory #Technology #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo