With microscope and tweezers: an analysis of the Internet virus of November 1988

Abstract

In early November 1988 the Internet, a collection of networks consisting of 60,000 host computers implementing the TCP/IP protocol suite, was attacked by a virus, a program which broke into computers on the network and which spread from one machine to another. The authors present a detailed analysis of the virus program. The describe the lessons that this incident has taught the Internet community and topics for future consideration and resolution. A detailed routine-by-routine description of the virus program, including the contents of its built-in dictionary is provided.<>