Tag: Tech Time Warp

Tech Time Warp is a weekly feature that looks back at interesting moments and milestones in tech history.

Tech Time Warp: Santy worm brings unwelcome gifts

Tech Time Warp: Santy worm brings unwelcome gifts

Network administrators had to deal with an unfriendly visitor during the 2004 holiday season: the Santy worm. Written in Perl, this malware targeted servers that hosted online bulletin boards running on the free phpBB software.

/ December 23, 2021
Internet of things
Tech Time Warp: Linux.Darlloz attacks the Internet of Things

Tech Time Warp: Linux.Darlloz attacks the Internet of Things

What’s on your holiday shopping list this year? Fitness trackers? Smart home hubs? Maybe even a smart coffee mug? No matter how enchanting or convenient a smart device might seem, it never pays to be uninformed about the security risk...

/ December 16, 2021
Tech Time Warp: The Marconi Wireless Hack of 1903

Tech Time Warp: The Marconi Wireless Hack of 1903

Technology history is filled with the stories of ethical hackers, as well as the intellectually curious seeking to prove a point. (See the stories of punch card expert René Carmille and the British journalists who hacked into Prince Philip’s inbox.)...

/ December 3, 2021
tech turkeys
Tech Time Warp: A look back at some of the biggest tech turkeys

Tech Time Warp: A look back at some of the biggest tech turkeys

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, then your Black Friday shopping list probably includes some of the year’s hottest technology. Maybe you’re eyeing a VR headset, wearables, or smart home devices. The trouble with being an early adopter,...

/ November 25, 2021
Tech Time Warp: Another dark side to a P2P network

Tech Time Warp: Another dark side to a P2P network

Leaving aside those pesky copyright concerns, the users of file-sharing peer-to-peer (P2P) networks such as Napster, Gnutella, Limewire, and the like thought they had some pretty cool tools on their hands. But in addition to attracting the ire of the...

/ November 19, 2021
Tech Time Warp: SCA virus infects the Commodore Amiga

Tech Time Warp: SCA virus infects the Commodore Amiga

The Commodore Amiga offered many firsts to computer users of the mid-1980s: 256 kilobytes of RAM, a 256-color display, and preemptive multitasking, not to mention a splashy celebrity debut (Andy Warhol used the Amiga to create a portrait of Debbie...

/ November 5, 2021
Ghostball virus
Tech Time Warp: Ghostball virus haunts PC users in 1989

Tech Time Warp: Ghostball virus haunts PC users in 1989

The story of the Ghostball virus is a worthwhile tale to revisit as Cybersecurity Awareness Month draws to a close on Halloween. As some PC users found out in October 1989, malware can be difficult to exorcise from your system....

/ October 29, 2021
Tech Time Warp: Gone phishing for cybersecurity history

Tech Time Warp: Gone phishing for cybersecurity history

The theme for Week 2 of Cybersecurity Awareness Month is “Phight the Phish!” Arguably one of the most insidious forms of cybercrime, phishing relies on tricking a recipient via social engineering into handing over personal information—and sometimes installing malware in...

/ October 15, 2021
Tech Time Warp: A Sober-ing tale for cybersecurity awareness month

Tech Time Warp: A Sober-ing tale for cybersecurity awareness month

The wriggling saga of the Sober worm is a cautionary tale worthy of a revisit during Cybersecurity Awareness Month. It’s a good reminder that once malware is on the loose, it’s hard to catch—and that it often undergoes a metamorphosis...

/ October 8, 2021 / 1 Comment
Tech Time Warp: The cybersecurity industry begins with RSA patent

Tech Time Warp: The cybersecurity industry begins with RSA patent

October 1 kicks off Cybersecurity Awareness Month, now in its 18th year. A joint initiative of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), the awareness month seeks to educate individuals and organizations about...

/ October 1, 2021