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A Decade of Computer Security
| 1991 |
Arrival of the World Wide Web, Linux, America Online, Windows
3.1 and the first Polymorphic computer viruses. |
| 1992 |
The newly-formed IT organization at UC Davis begins issuing
free email accounts to all students, faculty and staff |
| 1993 |
Kevin Mitnick becomes the first computer hacker to make the
FBI's 10 most wanted fugitives list. |
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| 1994 |
"Good Times" virus hoax circulates through Internet email.
Citibank is hacked. Pizza Hut initiates web-based ordering system.
As e-commerce warms up, hackers begin looking for credit card
and identity information. |
| 1995 |
Hackers discover an SSL flaw in Netscape. Kevin Mitnick is
arrested and later pleads guilty to seven counts of wire fraud,
computer fraud and illegal interception of a wire communication. |
| 1996 |
Kerberos password implemented automatically on all new UC
Davis email accounts. |
| 1997 |
Research conducted by UC Davis Computer Science Department
contributes to the first commercial network intrusion detection
system. |
| 1998 |
The Clinton administration releases a policy for protecting
the cybersecurity of America's banking, energy, electrical utilities,
transportation and governmental services.
Across the world, computer experts begin worrying about how
computers will handle Y2K. |
| 1999 |
"Melissa" virus spreads faster than any other virus to date,
executing a macro in a document attached to an email, which
forwards the document to 50 people in the user's Outlook address
book. |
| 2000 |
The world watches with fascination as the clocks turn over
from 1999 to 2000, and computing disasters are averted. |
| 2001 |
UC Davis develops an information security program on campus,
and appoints its first IT Security Coordinator. The Code Red
Internet worms attack more than 700,000 computers throughout
the world. Emailers begin to receive a barrage of offers to
share millions of dollars if they provide their bank account
numbers. |
| 2002 |
"Klez" puts a new spin on the email virus with its ability
to forge the sender address. UC Davis implements virus filtering
for email transmitted via the campus central email system, catching
up to 200,000 infected messages each month. |
| 2003 |
Kevin Mitnick's Web site is hacked. The US National Infrastructure
Awareness Center warns that increased international tension
may cause an increased illegal cyber activity. 52,000 social
security numbers are reported stolen from a database at the
University of Texas, at Austin. |
An amendment to the California Civil Code requires that people
must be notified when a computer security breach results in the
release of personal information.
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