There are criminals in the world, and some of them are programmers. With computer networks, they have an amplifying effect that they’ve never had before. If I were a criminal with a gun, I might attack one person. But with a computer network, I can attack a million people at a time. It’s like an atomic bomb.
Predictor: Schmidt, Eric
Prediction, in context:In a 1995 article for The New York Times, John Markoff talks with Eric Schmidt, chief technology officer for Sun Microsystems, regarding computer viruses. Markoff writes: ”Computer viruses are small programs that are written deliberately to be spread from one computer to another, typically by hiding within a legitimate program that the computer executes, or runs … Of the estimated 6,000 viruses that have been identified to date, most are benign, and only a few hundred have been identified ‘in the wild,’ or in general circulation. But some viruses are intended to be destructive. A few are intended to propagate rapidly, like cancer cells, eventually choking and shutting down a computer system. Others are more insidious, corrupting the data in a computer or on a computer network, or erasing all the data by reformatting the hard-disk drive … Experts say the potential threat from future malicious forms … is significant, especially as millions of people and thousands of businesses connect their computers to the Internet and other online networks. ‘I think [viruses] will be an extraodinarily serious problem over the next few years,’ said Eric Schmidt, chief technical officer at Sun Microsystems Inc. ‘If you believe the theory that nearly all personal computers will be on corporate networks or online services in the next two or three years, then this is a problem that could touch all PC users worldwide … There are criminals in the world, and some of them are programmers. With computer networks, they have an amplifying effect that they’ve never had before. If I were a criminal with a gun, I might attack one person. But with a computer network, I can attack a million people at a time. It’s like an atomic bomb.'”
Biography:Eric Schmidt was chief technology officer at Sun Microsystems from 1983-1997, where he earned international recognition as an Internet pioneer. He was also instrumental in the development and widespread acceptance of Java – Sun’s highly successful 1990s Internet programming language. He later worked as chief executive at Google. (Pioneer/Originator.)
Date of prediction: January 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Communication
Subtopic: Viruses/Worms
Name of publication: New York Times
Title, headline, chapter name: Computers Beware! New Type of Virus is Loose on the Net
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/document?_m=f83193a2ba735f9ad76017e5d09a2ce2&_docnum=46&wchp=dGLbVzz-lSlzV&_md5=6d73ba322f9d89e84a533cdfd7bcfa6f
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Sturmfelz, Matt