The WANK Worm: Australia's First Hacktivists
The Origins of the WANK Worm
In 1989, amidst the Cold War tensions and public fear surrounding nuclear technology, NASA prepared to launch the Galileo space probe. During this period, an underground group of tech-savvy individuals performed one of the first politically motivated cyberattacks in history, known as the WANK Worm (Worms Against Nuclear Killers).
• The worm was a self-replicating program affecting NASA, the Department of Energy, CERN, and RIKEN.
• It displayed the message "Your system has been officially wanked" to unsuspecting users.
• While the worm did not actually cause significant file damage, it cost NASA approximately a half-million dollars in lost resources to sanitize their networks.
The Australian Hacker Scene
Investigation revealed that the hack originated from Australia, mere months after the country first connected to the internet. The hackers managed to leave a cheeky reference using lyrics from the band Midnight Oil.
The Players
• The Realm: An exclusive hacker collective based in Melbourne.
• Phoenix and Electron: Two teenage prodigies within the group who utilized BBS (Bulletin Board Systems) to exchange information.
• Dr. Sulette Dreyfus: A researcher who extensively documented this early underground scene.
"They'd do whatever they had to to get their hands on the latest technology. There was a real sense of DIY in this scene."
Escalation and The Fall
After discovering Xardos, a database of security vulnerabilities, the hackers expanded their targets to include Los Alamos National Labs, Harvard, and digital infrastructure corporations.
• The Catalyst: Phoenix contacted a New York Times reporter to brag about their exploits, desiring fame and media coverage.
• Police Response: The Australian Federal Police (AFP) collaborated with the FBI to combat the threat, eventually developing advanced modem tapping techniques to track the hackers.
• The Raid and Aftermath: In April 1990, Phoenix and Electron were arrested. Despite their serious crimes, they received community service and eventually faded into obscurity, leaving the hacking community behind.