Back in 1982, a prank was pulled which has been identified as the initial computer virus infection.  Oer the past 25 years, they have gone from easily fixed hacks designed to mildly annoy the user into mutating bugs that do far more than just create mild frustration.  You can read about the virus, as well as the 15 year old that wrote it on Slashdot.  Virus writing is definitely for the young.
“In July of 1982, an infected Apple II propogated the first computer virus onto a 5-1/4” floppy. The virus, which did little more than annoy the user, Elk Cloner, was authored in Pittsburgh by a 15-year-old high school student, Rich Skrenta. The virus replicated by monitoring floppy disk activity and writing itself to the floppy when it was accessed. Skrenta describes the virus as “It was a practical joke combined with a hack. A wonderful hack.” Remember, he was a 9th grader when he did this.”

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