Though Ill mostly focus on the early years, Ill provide a timeline of events right up to 2025.
Since then, security experts and malicious hackers have been engaged in a constant battle to outdo each other.
At that point, interconnected computing systems created the need for user access controls.
As networks expanded, so did the awareness of potential threats.
This era laid the groundwork for modern cybersecurity.
What Is the First Known Malware Strain?
Who Was the First Hacker?
This is more difficult to answer as it depends on your definition of a hacker.
On top of that, because many hackers work in the shadows, lots of activity likely remains undocumented.
The earliest hackers were members of the MIT Model Railroad Club.
While they began with model railroads, the club quickly turned towards computer science and early modifications to software.
The first people we might recognize as hackers actually worked with telephone systems rather than computers.
John Draper (alias Captain Crunch) is probably the best-known phone phreaker.
While many phreakers were generally harmless, others engaged in harassment and fraud.
But if we restrict our definition to computer hackers, Allan L. Scherr is a good candidate.
But not everyone will count such rudimentary activity as a bonafide hack.
Many other students with access to computers probably accomplished similar things around the same time.
Who Made the First Antivirus?
The first antivirus program, Reaper, was developed by Ray Tomlinson in the early 1970s.
It was created to combat Creeper, the worm we discussed earlier.
Commercial antivirus solutions emerged in the 1980s, with companies likeMcAfeeand Symantec paving the way for the industry.
As time went on, other companies like Norton andBitdefenderthrew their hats in the ring.
A mainstream market of various antivirus solutions emerged, each with its own selling points.
There areseveral great antiviruses out therenowadays (and many more that arent worth your time).
My personal favorite, Norton, has the honor of being one of the oldest antiviruses of all time.
The term hacker originated in the 1960s at MIT, but it hada positive connotation.
Originally, hacker was used to describe skilled computer whizzes.
Over time, it evolved to include those who exploit systems or distribute malware.
How do threats keep up with modern cybersecurity tools?
Recently, AI-powered detection models have become a vital component of many antiviruses (and some viruses too).
Governments also frequently pass bills and policies to improve national cybersecurity defenses.
For example, the US created agencies like CISA to protect the federal government from hackers.
How have threats changed since the early days of cybersecurity?
Early cybersecurity threats were often simple experiments or pranks, such as theCreeper virusin the 1970s.
Nowadays, cybersecurity deals with a far wider range of threats.
How can you protect yourself from modern threats?
The easiest way to protect yourself from threats is by installing a quality antivirus.
