What Is the Morris Worm? History and Modern Impact

A hacker launched the Morris worm in 1988, and many people consider it one of the very first public attacks on computer systems. 

Morris worm code poses no threat today. Modern, well-defended computers are immune to the vulnerabilities the hacker exploited. 

But even so, the worm inspired generations of hackers. Modern hackers still use worms, and they can be devastating. And it made thousands of people deeply suspicious of the information we store and share online. 

Let's dig into how worms work, and then we'll unpack how the Morris worm got its name and how it continues to impact modern programming. 

How do worms work? 

Every computer needs an operating system. This program runs in the background, and you may never notice how it works or what it does. But it's critical to your performance, and you can't turn it off. A worm targets vulnerabilities in operating systems. 

Attackers have used worms to deliver some of the most d