The first computer virus was created in 1971. It was called the Creeper virus and was written by Bob Thomas at BBN Technologies. Creeper was an experimental self-replicating program that spread via ARPANET, the precursor to the internet. It displayed the message "I’m the creeper, catch me if you can!" on infected systems, but it was not malicious or destructive. This virus marked the beginning of the modern era of computer viruses.