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Malware: Malware in the Movies

"The very first computer virus did not happen on a Windows machine, or a Mac or an Apple II. The first virus did not travel via the Internet or in an email or in a floppy disk. The first virus was not on a minicomputer, nor was it on a mainframe. That’s because the first computer virus didn’t exist on any computer hardware or software of any kind. It was in a work of fiction.

By the late1970’s, movies books and television shows had given the public a very strong impression of hackers, viruses, and other computer threats. Unfortunately, these dramatic ideas have nothing at all to do with reality. In the movies, viruses destroy computer hardware, sometimes leaving a trail of smoke and fire. In reality, no virus was ever known to damage any computer hardware. Ever.

In the movies, a virus or worm always has an immediate and dramatic visual effect. There is always an animated screen (HACKERS) or a warning message (SNEAKERS) or you can actually see the data being destroyed before your very eyes (THE NET). In reality most malware leaves no visible trace of it’s existence." – Content courtesy of Malware in the Movies: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly | TrendLabs | Malware Blog – by Trend Micro