However, how did the “computer virus” as we know it come to be? The computer virus has origins as a conceptual idea from as far back as 1973 with the cult flick Westworld, where characters in a robot-staffed theme park discussed the spread of malfunctions in the androids, caused by some kind of infection-like virus.
Despite this bit of cinematic trivia, the actual roots of the computer begin with a student in California in the United States, Frederick Cohen, and his lecturer, Leonard Adleman, way back in 1983.
In celebration of their self-declared Antimalware Day, cybersecurity firm ESET marked the event with exclusive conversations with both Adleman and Cohen, to discover what really went on behind the scenes of their groundbreaking work, which today is the basis for much of our knowledge of computer threats.
