Computer Law Commons^™

The Legislative Response To The Evolution Of Computer Viruses, Mark R. Colombell

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

On July 19, 2001, and again on July 31, 2001, the United States Government was attacked by a worm. The Code Red worm, a malevolent computer program, spread across the Internet impacting thousands of computers globally. The initial target of the Code Red worm was the White House website. Just days after the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania on September 11, the Nimda virus was unleashed on the Internet. By consuming up to ten percent of the Internet's capacity, Nimda quickly received the distinction as the worst computer infestation to date.