First Ransomware Attack: How a Floppy Disk Exploited AIDS Fears

On January 1, 1990, the first recorded ransomware attack was executed by Dr. Joseph Lewis Andrew Popp Jr., who distributed a floppy disk labeled "AIDS Information – Introductory Diskette 2.0" to approximately 20,000 individuals, targeting those involved in the AIDS epidemic. The attack exploited public fears related to AIDS, using primitive encryption techniques that affected file names instead of the files themselves, which allowed the creation of recovery tools like "AIDSOUT" and "AIDSCLEAR." Despite these tools, the attack resulted in notable financial losses and data damage for many organizations, including an Italian health agency that lost a decade's worth of research data. Popp was later apprehended, but his mental fitness for trial came into question due to his erratic behavior.

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