Bizarre Facts

The history of malware began not with a sophisticated theft scheme, but with a boastful, playful experiment. In **1971**, engineer **Bob Thomas** at BBN Technologies created the program called **'Creeper.'** It was not a malicious virus intended to cause damage, but a proof-of-concept designed to test the viability of mobile programming across ARPANET, the precursor to the modern internet.

Creeper targeted DEC PDP-10 computers and would hop from one machine to the next, leaving a simple, taunting message displayed on the screen: **'I'M THE CREEPER : CATCH ME IF YOU CAN.'** It caused no harm, but it was the first piece of software to self-replicate and spread across a network without explicit user command, defining the very essence of a computer virus.

This early intrusion prompted the rapid creation of the world's first antivirus program, aptly named **'Reaper.'** Reaper's sole function was to travel through the same network, find the Creeper program, and delete it. This initial, harmless chase established the eternal digital arms race between virus and antivirus, a conflict that began with a cheeky message and a simple game of digital tag.