Limits RegistryPUBLIC RECORD
Limits RegistryReleased on the evening of 2 November 1988 by Cornell graduate student Robert Tappan Morris, the Morris worm exploited flaws in sendmail, fingerd and weak passwords on VAX and Sun-3 systems running BSD Unix. It is usually reported to have infected around 6,000 machines, prompted creation of the first CERT, and led to the first felony conviction under the US Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
The question, scope, and sources behind this Registry record.
Released on the evening of 2 November 1988 by Cornell graduate student Robert Tappan Morris, the Morris worm exploited flaws in sendmail, fingerd and weak passwords on VAX and Sun-3 systems running BSD Unix. It is usually reported to have infected around 6,000 machines, prompted creation of the first CERT, and led to the first felony conviction under the US Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
The year the first computer worm spread across the Internet on a scale that drew mainstream attention.
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The frontier as it changed over time.
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1 accepted Claim, with 1 linked evidence records.
Permanent ID limitsregistry.com/limits/LR-MORRIS-WORM-FIRST-INTERNET-WORM
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Limits Registry. LR-MORRIS-WORM-FIRST-INTERNET-WORM. First Internet worm to gain widespread attention (Morris worm). 2026.