Father Christmas (computer worm)
Encyclopedia
The Father Christmas worm was a computer worm
that used the DECnet
to attack VAX/VMS systems. It was released in December 1988.
The aim of this worm was to send a Christmas greeting from "Father Christmas" from the affected system.
Computer worm
A computer worm is a self-replicating malware computer program, which uses a computer network to send copies of itself to other nodes and it may do so without any user intervention. This is due to security shortcomings on the target computer. Unlike a computer virus, it does not need to attach...
that used the DECnet
DECnet
DECnet is a suite of network protocols created by Digital Equipment Corporation, originally released in 1975 in order to connect two PDP-11 minicomputers. It evolved into one of the first peer-to-peer network architectures, thus transforming DEC into a networking powerhouse in the 1980s...
to attack VAX/VMS systems. It was released in December 1988.
The aim of this worm was to send a Christmas greeting from "Father Christmas" from the affected system.