THE WHATIS.COM WORD-OF-THE-DAY June 22, 2004 Elk Cloner
_____________ SPONSORED BY: SearchSecurity.com Receive timely information on hard-hitting security vulnerabilities including mitigation strategies with SearchSecurity's Security Alert e-newsletter. http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/registerProfile/1,291003,sid14,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=485545 ______________________ TODAY'S WORD: Elk Cloner Read our complete definition with hyperlinks at http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid14_gci989616,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=485545 Elk Cloner was the first computer virus known to have spread in the wild. Richard Skrenta, then fifteen years old, wrote the virus for the Apple II operating system, which was stored on floppy diskettes. When a computer booted from a floppy disk infected with Elk Cloner, the virus would start, and would subsequently copy itself to any uninfected floppy disk that was accessed. Because computers of that time had dual floppy disk drives, and because diskettes were often passed around among friends, the virus was frequently copied. After contagion, every 50th time that a computer booted up, it would display the following text: Elk Cloner: The program with a personality It will get on all your disks It will infiltrate your chips Yes it's Cloner! It will stick to you like glue It will modify ram too Send in the Cloner! Elk Cloner was not intended to cause damage, but was created as a practical joke. According to WorldHistory.com, the adolescent Skrenta had a penchant for modifying programs so that they stopped working after some code-specified time period had elapsed, at that point displaying some joke text that Skrenta had written. Not surprisingly, the young programmer's friends grew leary of allowing him access to their diskettes. Elk Cloner's capacity to copy itself (the major criterion of a virus) made it possible for Skrenta to continue to annoy his friends without requiring physical access. The virus is reported to have spread widely among his fellow students (and also to his math teacher), thus ensuring Elk Cloner's place in history. ______________________ RELATED TERMS: virus http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid14_gci213306,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=485545 in the wild http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid14_gci511204,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=485545 diskette http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid5_gci211964,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=485545 ______________________ SELECTED LINKS: WorldHistory.com has more information about Elk Cloner. http://www.worldhistory.com/wiki/E/Elk-Cloner.htm Skrenta's old newsgroup post contains further details. http://www.skrenta.com/cloner/clone-post.html _____________________ TODAY'S TECH NEWS: FEEDING THE FUD: SILENT CIOS CAN SABOTAGE OUTSOURCING PLANS How open are you about your outsourcing plans? If it's your "dirty little secret," you could be doing your department more harm than good. http://searchcio.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid19_gci989533,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=485545 EMC OVERHAULS CONTROLCENTER SOFTWARE EMC has added support for all the major enterprise management platforms and is pitching ControlCenter as the product for managing storage from different vendors. http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid5_gci989524,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=485545 TWO SERVICE STRIKES AND YOU'RE OUT A new survey shows just how bad service has to be before customers will jump ship. http://searchcrm.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid11_gci970959,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=485545 >> Catch up on all the latest IT news at http://searchtechtarget.techtarget.com?track=NL-34&ad=485545 ______________________ SECRET WORD-OF-THE-DAY Creator of the world's first computing machines, this English mathematician and inventor can be considered the grandfather of modern computing. What is it? http://searchsmallbizit.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid44_gci213713,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=485545&offer=SWOD ______________________ GEEK TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE DAY What word is the programming world's equivalent of manufacturing's all-purpose widget? >> See answer http://searchsmallbizit.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid44_gci212139,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=485545&offer=CIOFACT ______________________ ABBREVIATION QOTD Today's abbreviation: EBITDA Variations on EBITDA can be used to put a whole different slant on figures, but what do the letters stand for? a. enterprise benchmark in technical deliverable annuities b. earnings before interest, depreciation and amortization >> See answer http://searchsmallbizit.techtarget.com/gDefinition/0,294236,sid44_gci877929,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=485545&offer=QOTD ______________________ DO YOU SPEAK GEEK? Episode 1: Romancing the Penguin Grab your Indiana Jones hat and favorite whip. In the first of our three-part quiz series, you find yourself stranded in the land of geeks, surrounded by jaguars, panthers and vicious penguins. Can you speak their language and survive the IT jungle? http://searchenterpriselinux.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid39_gci970521,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=485545 ______________________ QUICK POLL Which storage issue is most pressing to your company? http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/news/0,289141,sid5,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=485545 ______________________________ RECENT ADDITIONS AND UPDATES (1) VisiCalc http://searchdatabase.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid13_gci970698,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=485545 (2) ultrasound http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid14_gci970569,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=485545 (3) Illustrated definitions http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci970532,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=485545 (4) CIW http://search400.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid3_gci970248,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=485545 (5) nagware http://searchcrm.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid11_gci860960,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=485545 ____________________________________________________________________ ::::::::::::::::::: WHATIS.COM CONTACTS ::::::::::::::::::: MARGARET ROUSE, Site Editor ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) IVY WIGMORE, Consulting Editor ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) LOWELL THING, Consulting Editor and Founder ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) GABRIELLE DERUSSY, Advertising ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) ::::::::::::::::::::: ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER :::::::::::::::::::::: This e-newsletter is published by WhatIs.com, a targeted Web site from TechTarget, the most targeted IT media and events company. 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