GSLC · Question #271
Which of the following malware spread through the Internet and caused a large DoS attack in 1988?
The correct answer is A. Morris worm. The Morris worm, released in 1988, was the first major Internet worm and caused widespread denial-of-service conditions by exhausting system resources on thousands of Unix machines.
Question
Which of the following malware spread through the Internet and caused a large DoS attack in 1988?
Options
- AMorris worm
- BLoveLetter worm
- CSQL slammer worm
- DKlez worm
How the community answered
(47 responses)- A87% (41)
- B9% (4)
- C2% (1)
- D2% (1)
Why each option
The Morris worm, released in 1988, was the first major Internet worm and caused widespread denial-of-service conditions by exhausting system resources on thousands of Unix machines.
The Morris worm (November 2, 1988) exploited vulnerabilities in sendmail, fingerd, and rsh/rexec on Unix systems and is widely credited as the first worm to gain significant attention on the Internet, causing a large-scale DoS by replicating rapidly and consuming CPU and memory resources. Its creator, Robert Morris, was the first person convicted under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
The LoveLetter (ILOVEYOU) worm appeared in May 2000, over a decade after the 1988 incident described in the question.
The SQL Slammer worm emerged in January 2003, targeting Microsoft SQL Server, and is unrelated to the 1988 event.
The Klez worm was discovered in late 2001 and propagated via email attachments, not in 1988.
Concept tested: Historical malware - Morris worm 1988 DoS incident
Source: https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/sp/800-61/rev-2/final
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