Student says his error crippled computers

Article Abstract:

On the final day of testimony, Robert Tappan Morris offered his first public explanation of the program he designed which disabled many computers on the Internet system in Nov, 1988. Morris says the program was an experiment that went awry. The program was only supposed to make one copy of itself and hide in each computer on Internet, but due to a fundamental design flaw the program instead replicated itself hundreds of times on individual computers, thus slowing or stopping them. The US Justice Department views the case as a test of existing laws, and states it will ask congress to write new laws if Morris is not convicted. The law Morris is being tried under requires the government to prove that he used computers without authorization and altered, damaged or destroyed data, causing damages in excess of $1000.

Legal counsel and prosecution, Product defects and recalls, Laws, regulations and rules, United States. Department of Justice, Computer viruses, Virus

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Ex-student faces trial over computer chaos

Article Abstract:

Robert Tappan Morris, a former Cornell University student and an expert on computer security, faces charges of infiltrating the Internet computer network. Morris is also accused of placing a computer virus in the network, which connects academic, corporate and nonclassified military computers. Morris's defense will claim that designers must examine existing computer security systems in order to improve upon them. Both the defense and prosecution will use as evidence a videotape of a speech Morris delivered at the National Security Agency on how to gain access to computers. Issues will likely include whether Morris intended to harm the network or its users, whether he intended to infiltrate Internet as a personal stunt, or whether he was performing research when he infiltrated Internet.

Computer crimes, Networks, Computer Crime

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From hacker to symbol: U.S. officials hope one man's punishment will say that computer jokes are crimes

Article Abstract:

Whether the Federal Government sends a message to computer hackers in the prosecution of Robert Tappan Morris will not be clear until Tappan is sentenced. Tappan is the computer-science student who disrupted a nationwide computer network in Nov 1988. Until the 1980s, computer hackers tended to be admired for their daring and technical skill, but that view of the hacker is changing. 'Society is too dependent on the reliability of computer networks for Mr. Morris's conduct to be condoned,' says Marc Rotenberg, Washington director for the Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility.

Social policy, Beliefs, opinions and attitudes, Social conditions, Reliability (Trustworthiness), Reliability, Social Issue, Court Cases, Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility, Rotenberg, Marc

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