How Early Antivirus Software Was Created to Fight First-Generation Viruses
Imagine a world where the word “virus” only meant the flu. That was the reality until the mid-1980s. Then, almost overnight, people started losing homework, games, and business files because tiny malicious programs were hiding on floppy disks. There were no app stores, no automatic updates, and no built-in protection. The only thing standing between your precious data and total destruction was a handful of hobbyists and small companies who decided to fight back. These pioneers wrote the very first antivirus programs using nothing more than passion, late nights, and floppy disks of their own. This blog post tells their story: how a few clever individuals turned the tide against the first generation of computer viruses and accidentally created a multi-billion-dollar industry we all depend on today.
Table of Contents
- The First Viruses Appear: 1982–1987
- 1972–1987: From Reaper to the Need for Real Antivirus
- The Early Heroes Who Built the First Defenses
- How Those First Antivirus Programs Actually Worked
- The Shareware Revolution: Try Before You Buy
- From Hobby to Business: 1987–1991
- The Endless Cat-and-Mouse Game Begins
- Timeline of Early Antivirus Milestones
- Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions
The First Viruses Appear: 1982–1987
1982 – Elk Cloner spreads on Apple II disks and shows a poem.
1986 – Brain, the first PC virus, infects boot sectors and displays the authors’ phone number.
1987 – Jerusalem (Friday the 13th virus), Vienna, Cascade, and Stoned appear.
1988 – Over 12 new viruses discovered every month.
These early viruses spread slowly by today’s standards, but for people who only had one backup (if any), losing everything was devastating.
1972–1987: From Reaper to the Need for Real Antivirus
Most people think antivirus started in the late 1980s, but the very first “antivirus” was Reaper in 1972, written to chase the Creeper worm across ARPANET. It was a one-time tool. Fifteen years later, when viruses started appearing on personal computers, no such defender existed. Users removed infections manually by deleting files or reformatting disks. That changed when a few individuals decided enough was enough.
The Early Heroes Who Built the First Defenses
- Bernd Fix (Germany, 1987) – Wrote the first program to remove the Vienna virus
- Fridrik Skúlason (Iceland, 1988) – Created the “Icelandic Virus Control” toolkit, later F-PROT
- John McAfee (USA, 1987) – Founded McAfee Associates after seeing the need
- Peter Norton (USA, 1988) – Added virus removal to Norton Utilities
- Alan Solomon (UK, 1988) – Wrote Dr Solomon’s Anti-Virus Toolkit
- Ross Greenberg (USA, 1987) – Released FluShot for DOS
These were mostly one-person or tiny-team efforts, often started as hobbies.
How Those First Antivirus Programs Actually Worked
Early antivirus was incredibly simple compared to today:
- Signature scanning – Looked for exact byte patterns unique to each known virus
- Integrity checking – Remembered how clean files looked and alerted if they changed
- Boot-sector protection – Watched the part of the disk that starts the computer
- Heuristic checks (later) – Looked for suspicious behavior instead of exact matches
Updates came on floppy disks mailed to you or downloaded from BBS bulletin boards.
The Shareware Revolution: Try Before You Buy
Most early antivirus programs were shareware:
- Download and use for free
- Send $20–$50 if you liked it and wanted updates
- Honor system kept developers alive
McAfee famously offered VirusScan free to corporations on BBS systems. When companies called in panic after an infection, he gently reminded them to register and pay. It worked brilliantly.
From Hobby to Business: 1987–1991
- 1987 – McAfee Associates founded (first commercial antivirus company)
- 1988 – F-PROT, Dr Solomon’s, and Central Point Anti-Virus released
- 1990 – Symantec buys Norton Utilities and launches Norton AntiVirus
- 1991 – Over 1,000 known viruses; antivirus becomes a real industry
The Endless Cat-and-Mouse Game Begins
Polymorphic viruses (1990–1991) started changing their appearance to avoid signatures. Antivirus makers responded with better heuristics. Encrypted viruses hid their code. Developers learned to decrypt on the fly. Every new virus forced the next generation of protection. That arms race has never stopped.
Timeline of Early Antivirus Milestones
| Year | Event | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Reaper removes Creeper | First “antivirus” program |
| 1987 | Vienna virus remover by Bernd Fix | First public virus-specific remover |
| 1987 | McAfee VirusScan 1.0 | First commercial antivirus |
| 1988 | F-PROT, Dr Solomon’s, FluShot | Multiple competitors appear |
| 1990 | Symantec launches Norton AntiVirus | Antivirus goes mainstream |
| 1991 | Polymorphic viruses appear | Signature scanning no longer enough |
Conclusion
The first antivirus programs were not created by giant corporations with unlimited budgets. They were written by ordinary people who loved computers and hated seeing them destroyed. In garages, bedrooms, and small offices across the world, a few determined individuals built tools that saved millions of files and laid the foundation for every protection we enjoy today. From Bernd Fix removing Vienna with a 2 KB program to John McAfee turning a hobby into a company, these pioneers proved that one person really can make a difference. Next time your laptop quietly updates its virus definitions in the background, take a moment to thank the hobbyists of the 1980s who started it all.
What was the very first antivirus program?
Reaper in 1972, created to remove the Creeper worm.
Who created the first commercial antivirus?
John McAfee with VirusScan in 1987.
What did early antivirus actually do?
It scanned files for known virus signatures and removed infected files.
How were updates delivered in the 1980s?
By mailing floppy disks or downloading from BBS systems.
What is a boot-sector virus?
A virus that hides in the part of the disk that starts the computer.
Who wrote the first virus remover for Vienna?
Bernd Fix in Germany, 1987.
What is shareware?
Software you could try for free and pay for if you kept using it.
When did Norton AntiVirus appear?
1990, when Symantec bought Peter Norton’s company.
What is a polymorphic virus?
A virus that changes its appearance to avoid detection.
Did early antivirus run all the time?
No, you had to start the scan manually.
How many viruses existed in 1988?
Fewer than 10; by 1991 over 1,000.
Was F-PROT free?
Yes, the DOS version remained free for home users for many years.
Who founded Dr Solomon’s Anti-Virus?
Alan Solomon in the UK, 1988.
Why did McAfee give VirusScan away for free?
To get corporations to adopt it; they paid when they needed support.
What language were early antivirus programs written in?
Mostly assembly and C for speed and small size.
When did real-time protection begin?
Late 1980s with programs like FluShot and Virex.
Did antivirus companies make money at first?
Barely; many developers had day jobs.
What replaced floppy-disk updates?
BBS downloads, then internet updates in the mid-1990s.
Are any of the original antivirus companies still around?
Yes, F-PROT (now part of Cyren) and Norton (Symantec/LifeLock).
What is the biggest legacy of early antivirus?
It proved ordinary people could protect the world from digital threats.
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