Tech Time Warp: Fred Cohen’s work leads to the term “virus”
It’s usually difficult to pinpoint the origins of a physical virus, but when it comes to the term “computer virus,” we can trace that back to the graduate school work of computer scientist, Fred Cohen. On Nov. 10, 1983, he...
Tech Time Warp: The first electronic message between two computers
An estimated 281 billion emails are sent each day worldwide — and lo and behold, they all got their start with the letters “LO.” On Oct. 29, 1969 — just three months after Neil Armstrong walked on the moon —...
Tech Time Warp: National Cybersecurity Awareness Month marks 15 years of service
Fifteen years ago, in recognition of the massive “stranger danger” present online, the National Cyber Security Alliance (NSCA) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) observed the first National Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
Tech Time Warp: The curious cases of early hackers
These days, cybersecurity is such a pervasive concern that it’s easy to forget law enforcement and the courts once had no idea what to do with hackers. Some of the earliest cases of hacking and computer fraud predate the federal...
Tech Time Warp: Big-time data breaches and the cybersecurity sins that led to them
Cybersecurity often seems like a moving target. The bad guys have a seemingly endless supply of spammy servers, plus all the time and budget in the world, whereas those charged with protecting companies from cybercrime face normal business constraints in...
Tech Time Warp: Spotlight on the FBI Cyber Division
These days, a sexy, offbeat hacker is a movie trope — a recent example Rihanna’s portrayal of “Nine Ball” in the glamorous Ocean’s Eight. Armed with laptops in chunky cases, these hackers use a few keystrokes to hack into government...
Tech Time Warp: Happy fake birthday, Google
Sept. 27, 2018, marked Google’s 20th birthday — or did it? Since 2006, the omnipresent search giant has celebrated its founding on Sept. 27, but the occasion was celebrated as early as Sept. 7 in years prior. Google acknowledges the...
Tech Time Warp: RSA doesn’t stand for really secure authentication (but it should)
The encryption algorithm frequently used to make online shopping sprees secure celebrates two anniversaries this week — the issuing of its patent (Sept. 20, 1983) and the expiration of said patent 17 years later.
Tech Time Warp: The history of WYSIWYG
This week marks the 70th birthday of Charles Simonyi, the Hungarian-born software executive behind Microsoft Office and Excel. Born on September 10, 1948, Simonyi is also responsible for an innovation the modern computer user might take for granted: WYSIWYG word...
Tech Time Warp: ‘Here You Have’ Virus Spams the World
The ‘Here You Have’ virus—which kept IT departments busy in early September 2010—has all the makings of a good Jack Ryan outing. Major corporate and government disruption? Check. (Entities from Disney to NASA were affected.) A hacker claiming credit on...
