Lahore (Web Desk): It may come as a surprise to many Pakistanis that the world’s first computer virus was developed in Pakistan. The virus was created by two brothers from Lahore and is considered an early form of modern computer viruses.
The world’s first personal computer boot-sector virus, “Brain,” was developed in January 1986 by Lahore-based brothers Basit Farooq Alvi and Amjad Farooq Alvi.
The two brothers created the programme to prevent unauthorized copying of medical software they had developed. In this sense, the purpose of “Brain” was not to damage computers but to protect the software from piracy.
The virus spread through 5.25-inch floppy disks and became active when unauthorized copies of the software were made. It also contained the brothers’ shop address, phone numbers and a hidden copyright message.