European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 7, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday november 7,1968 the stars and stripes Page program error triggered computer virus9 by the new York times Robert Tappan Morrisjr. Had spent Many week painstaking creating he computer virus that beleaguered Many of the nation s computer networks wednesday night and  All accounts the 23-year-old computer science student intended no  in the end working with great intensity and Little sleep he made a single programming error hat ultimately jammed More than 6,000 computers in what is being called this country s most serious com Puter virus attack. That mistake also brought moms life crashing Down around him three friends have told the new York  quickly recognized thai things had gone terribly wrong and they disclosed he arranged for a Friend to Send out instructions on eradicating the virus to those same computers plagued by , in yet another misfortune the instructions were electronically posted in a place where few would see  he turned himself in to his father Robert t. Morris sr., one of the government s top experts on computer Secu Rity. The Case with All its bizarre twists illuminates the cerebral world of a father and son and indeed a whole modern subculture obsessed with the intellectual Challenge of exploring the innermost crannies of the powerful machines that in the last three decades have come to control much of society. That one of the most remarkable demonstrations of computer vulnerability with More than 6,000 computers halted or slowed for a Day and a half should remade by he son of a top computer Security official is less surprising than it first appears people who know both father and son say. Both men Are Well versed in a Field in which a game playing mentality is essential. To make computers More secure one must first be Able to under stand How to break into them. It s absolutely imperative you must do that said m. Douglas Millroy a computer scientist at american Telephone and Telegraph s Bell laboratories under whom both father and son worked at differ ent limes. You must be Able to think of How to sub Vert  the first year Cornell University graduate student was not available fur comment saturday. Those who knew i m As a student at Harvard where he earned an undergraduate degree in computer science paint a picture Ofa remarkably Bright but in Vale  said he at first seemed an inept socially awkward person with a passion for computers but was really a caring and thoughtful Young Man. They said he was not vindictive and was horrified at the consequences of his virus program. His parents said he had obtained an attorney an was planning to meet shortly with . Justice depart Robert Morris single error jammed 6,000 computers. Men officials. The department is continuing an in Quiry into whether Federal Laws were violated. His father Robert Morris sr., 56, himself a graduate of Harvard worked for Many years at at to s Bell labs in new Jersey and while there he developed passion for the world of computer Security. He helped develop the unix operating system which is the Standard operating system for technical computing and was the target of Nis son s  years ago the elder Morris left Bell labs and went to work As the chief scientist for the National computer Security Center the division of the nation Al Security Agency that focuses on computer  the last year he has been taking courses to prepare himself for a higher and More classified management position at the Asa. He views his work As an incredibly Complex set of abstractions said one computer Security specialist who has worked with him frequently in the lost two years his son became captivated with computers As a teen Ager in new Jersey those who know the family say. His interest grew at Harvard from which he graduated last Spring. Those who knew him at Harvard say the  that went awry last week May have stemmed from the fact that he was unchallenged by Many Normal programming activities. Robert was really Brilliant and so for him simple things like generating a crossword Puzzle or graphics program weren t that Csc iting said Andy Sud Duji systems manager at the Aiken Laboratory at Harvard University where Morrisjr. Had a part time  was playing with fire Sudduth said referring to the virus. You can Call in a grave error in judgment but then again he also exercised a lot of judgment in writing the program to not disturb any  student Friend of Morris said hat when he Dis covered the flaw that would let him secretly enter uni computers connected to the arpanet a department of defense computer research network he was so excite thai he literally jumped on the Friend s desk and paced around on top or it while describing the entry  Friend and others said Morris original vision was to spread a tiny program widely throughout the United tales and internationally and have it secretly Lake up residence in the memory of each computer it  program was supposed to slowly propagate from machine to machine always hiding in the Back ground to escape detection. However because the Young computer expert chosen single incorrect number and that number bore directly on the Rale of replication the virus instead sped madly out of control creating dozens or even hundreds of copies on each machine in entered rather than the one copy originally planned. At Harvard saturday Morns professors were shocked that be undertook the project. What surprises me about this is that it cuts across the Grain of Robert s personality said Mark Frt Dell the assistant professor of computer science who waste Young student s adviser for three years. A Proba Bly got scared and froze he could have slopped  he saw this thing getting out of hand he should have got on the Hom and called a few people. Thai is shame he could have saved  Harvard s computers linked to arpanet were among those jammed by the virus. The computer science Community is badly split about the Gravity of the wrongdoing. Around the coun try computer managers who have spent Days battling he program have expressed widespread anger. At Cornell University where computer manager Friday night discovered what they said might be Evi Dence linking Morris to the virus m. Stuart Lynn Vic president of information technologies said i take this kind of stuff very seriously even if in was accidental. We have a policy for oar computer science students that states this kind of action is  Don t consider it a Garcal Hack. In takes time away from productive work und we Don i think it s  Early Call on Bush Dukakis Winner discouraged Washington a George Bush s Lead in the polls is causing Politi Cal operatives to worry that the networks might Call a landslide win Early tuesday evening and discourage potential voter sin some close Senate races. Sen John Kerry d-mass., chairman of the democratic senatorial Campaign committee said pleas to to networks to withhold conclusions about the election s outcome until after West coast poll close have yielded Little. We have asked them not to Call therace based on exit polling Kerry said. But he added the competitive drive ingoing to escape any kind of  both Bush and Democrat Michael Dukakis have pledged not to make any statement of Victory or defeat until Al polls on the West coast have closed. The pledges from the two tamps arc a significant step to increase voter participation in tuesday s election said rep. Ron Wyden Dore who solicited the statements from the two campaigns. Television executives have said the will not Call the election in any stale until its polls Are closed. But they made i Clear thai if a candidate exceeds the 270 electoral vote margin needed for elec Tion they will not sit on the news. Polls in Eastern states begin to close As Early As 6 p.m., while the closing time i California Oregon Washington arid Hawaii is five hours later. For Alaska pol closing is Midnight est. Kerry said the effect of announcing presidential election Victory before All polls arc closed might discourage Westcoast voters from easting ballots even though local races might be very  Washington the race Between democratic rep. Mike Lowry and re publican former sen. Slade Gorton is considered a dead heal As is the Nevada contest Between incumbent sen. Chic Hucht a Republican and democratic gov. Richard Bryan. Those races plus potentially close Senate contests in Montana and califor Nia could be affected by an Early Call on the presidential race Kerry said. It was disastrous in 1980," when then sen. Warren Magnuson d-wash., lost after the networks called the election for Ronald Reagan shortly Afler 8 and president Carter conceded soon afterwards Kerry , there were reports that voters lined up at polling places went Home without voting after hearing the outcome of the presidential race reported base Don network exit polling. This time in is unclear what effect nearly Call might have on the closest West Ern Senate races. Kerry said for exam ple that because Lowry has devoted Fol Lowers and a highly organized Campaign he might be Able o turn out his support ers anyway and such a development might Hurt Gorton. But regardless of the effect he said discouraging any voter negates the elec toral process and is wrong. Jackson ready to run a gain starting w Chicago a Jesse Jackson Defeated in his bid for the democratic presidential nomination says he. Was a heartbeat away from the presidency an suggests he will run for the White House in 1992 if m Tichac Dukakis loses. If Michael Dukakis loses on tuesday the next political season Wilt begin on wednesday Jackson said in an interview with the Chicago Sun times published in sunday s editions. In the Sun times interview Jackson said he feels Dukakis can still defeat Republican George Bush bul if he does to the chicagoan is looking at a third run for the White House  i came within a Stone s throw of winning my Par by s nomination Jackson said. I was a heartbeat away from the presidency. I will continue to serve. The full scope of my leadership has Cyl to Blossom and flourish. 1 have a belief in my leadership. I take my leadership from the peo ple. Vav since the democratic convention in july  be has travelled 10 60 cities in 29 states in support of Dukakis speaking before More than 745,000 peo ple. .-.-. -.,-. Nobody worked harder for this ticket than i did he said. -.".-.  Jackson said a revision of the party s Delegate Selec Tion rules including the elimination of More than 300 appointed Sopor delegates to he convention would help his candidacy in 1992. I always fare belter with the people than with in political elite he said referring to the fact that most  arc elected officials