Tech Time Warp is a weekly feature that looks back at interesting moments and milestones in tech history.
Tag: Tech Time Warp
Tech Time Warp: Game Over for GameOver Zeus
Tech Time Warp: Game Over for GameOver Zeus
On Dec. 30, 2016, President Barack Obama announced sanctions related to Russian state-sponsored hacking of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. An individual believed to be involved was already on the FBI’s most wanted list of cybercriminals—one Evgeniy Bogachev, leader of...
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.
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...
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.)...
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,...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
