RFC 1135 (rfc1135) – Page 1 of 33
Helminthiasis of the Internet
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
Network Working Group J. Reynolds
Request for Comments: 1135 ISI
December 1989
The Helminthiasis of the Internet
Status of this Memo
This memo takes a look back at the helminthiasis (infestation with,
or disease caused by parasitic worms) of the Internet that was
unleashed the evening of 2 November 1988. This RFC provides
information about an event that occurred in the life of the Internet.
This memo does not specify any standard. Distribution of this memo
is unlimited.
Introduction
----- "The obscure we see eventually, the completely
apparent takes longer." ----- Edward R. Murrow
The helminthiasis of the Internet was a self-replicating program that
infected VAX computers and SUN-3 workstations running the 4.2 and 4.3
Berkeley UNIX code. It disrupted the operations of computers by
accessing known security loopholes in applications closely associated
with the operating system. Despite system administrators efforts to
eliminate the program, the infection continued to attack and spread
to other sites across the United States.
This RFC provides a glimpse at the infection, its festering, and
cure. The impact of the worm on the Internet community, ethics
statements, the role of the news media, crime in the computer world,
and future prevention will be discussed. A documentation review
presents four publications that describe in detail this particular
parasitic computer program. Reference and bibliography sections are
also included in this memo.
1. The Infection
----- "Sandworms, ya hate 'em, right??" ----- Michael
Keaton, Beetlejuice
Defining "worm" versus "virus"
A "worm" is a program that can run independently, will consume the
resources of its host from within in order to maintain itself, and
can propagate a complete working version of itself on to other
machines.
Reynolds
