The First Internet Worm

A first-year graduate student wrote a self-copying program and released it onto the early internet. He said he meant only to show up weak security, but the program copied itself far faster than he expected. Thousands of computers at universities, military sites and research centres slowed to a halt or crashed. The argument turned on intent: the law punishes someone who intentionally gains access without permission and causes damage, and he said the government had to prove he meant the damage too.