How a Sci-Fi Novel Shaped Our Perception of the First Computer Virus

Science fiction has a habit of getting things wrong.

Flying cars, time travel, alien invasions . . . most of it never ends up the way we expect.

But every once in a while, it gets things right.

How a Sci-Fi Novel Shaped Our Perception of the First Computer Virus

Shockwave Rider and the Rise of the First Computer Virus

Nick Haflinger is on the run. A gifted hacker raised by the government, he’s determined to escape. And he has the tools to pull it off.

In the book The Shockwave Rider (1975), John Brunner imagined a world where programs called worms could move freely through massive networks, gathering data, spying on users, and even dismantling the systems that created them.

Inspired by biological tapeworms, they could break off, replicate, and continue spreading, making them incredibly difficult to stop.

At the time, it sounded like a warning about the future.

But here’s the thing.

The idea of a program that could move between computers wasn’t entirely fiction. Just a few years earlier, something remarkably similar had already appeared in the real world.

And it all started with what many consider to be the first computer virus.

The First Computer Virus

The first program to behave like a virus wasn’t technically a virus at all.

It was a worm.

A traditional computer virus attaches itself to a file or program. It needs human action, like opening a file, to spread. Think of it like hitching a ride.

A worm doesn’t need that.

It moves on its own, spreading across networks automatically, jumping from one machine to another without permission or assistance.

Which brings us back to the early 1970s. Back when networks were small and built more on curiosity than caution.

What Is the Name of the First Computer Virus?

In 1971, programmer Bob Thomas created a program called Creeper.

It ran on ARPANET, the precursor to the modern internet, and had one simple objective:

Move.

No destruction. No data theft. No hidden agenda.

Just an experiment to prove that it could be done.

It didn’t hide what it was doing, either. It displayed a simple message:

“I’m the creeper, catch me if you can.”

In hindsight, it marked the beginning of something much bigger: Software didn’t have to stay in one place anymore.

Early computing was full of experiments like this. Another good example is when researchers wanted to watch a coffee pot, which led to the first web camera.

Did Shockwave Rider Influence the First Computer Virus?

Short answer?

No.

At least, not directly.

By the time The Shockwave Rider was published in 1975, Creeper had already made its rounds in 1971.

So, if we’re asking whether the book inspired the first computer virus, the timeline doesn’t support it. Reality got there first.

But that’s not the whole story.

While Brunner didn’t influence Creeper, his work did something just as important:

It gave the concept a name.

The Shockwave Rider helped popularize the idea of self-propagating programs, turning what had been a niche technical experiment into something people could understand.

Today, cybersecurity professionals still use “worm” to describe programs that spread independently across networks.

The Creeper, the Reaper, and the Beginning of Antivirus

Creeper didn’t just start a conversation.

It created a response.

Not long after Creeper began moving across ARPANET, another program appeared with a very specific mission:

Find Creeper.

That program was called Reaper.

Unlike Creeper, Reaper wasn’t there to experiment. It actively searched for infected machines, removed Creeper, and prevented it from spreading further.

Reaper essentially became the first antivirus software.

Science Fiction Still Shapes Cybersecurity Today

For decades, sci-fi has shown us machines that think, learn, and act on their own.

Today, we’re building AI systems that can generate content, write code, and even identify vulnerabilities. Tools that can be used for innovation . . . or exploitation.

And then there’s hacking.

What once looked like a cinematic exaggeration, someone breaking into systems from across the world, is now a daily reality. Cyberattacks happen constantly, often automated, invisible, and more sophisticated than anything early fiction could fully capture.

That's why it's more important now than ever to invest in reliable cybersecurity services.

Final Thoughts on the First Computer Virus

What began as a harmless experiment and a speculative story on the first computer virus has evolved into one of the most defining challenges of the digital age.

Curiosity created a tool. That tool became a threat.

And the line between fiction and reality didn’t just blur.

It disappeared.

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Danielle Mundy is a Content Marketing Specialist for Tier 3 Technology. She graduated magna cum laude from Iowa State University, where she worked on the English Department magazine and social media. She creates engaging multichannel marketing content—from social media posts to white papers.