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and affecting its messaging software. The U.S. military, which had mostly committed to using
Windows for their computer programs, became increasingly concerned about AF/91 potentially reaching them, hence why it was mentioned at FOSE. Though the NSA was said to have considered any computer with
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is not known to have used a strategy similar to this in the Gulf War. Despite its publication date and the article clarifying it was for April Fools' Day, the story drew significant media attention, with several sources erroneously describing AF/91 as real well into the early 2000s.
343:, one section described AF/91 as though it was real, although it was not referred to by name. When questioned on the topic, writer Brian Duffy claimed his sources were unnamed "senior level intelligence officers", and stated he had "no doubt" that AF/91 existed.
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windowing technology to be "doomed", computers infected by AF/91 could last up to four years if used very infrequently due to the virus' neural network requiring continuous use to learn, potentially long enough for the NSA to develop dedicated
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column that he believed it resulted from "a creepy enthusiasm" for unusual weapons, the competitiveness of the media to report "the hot scoop", and the "uniquely
American" belief that technology is the answer to everything.
190:—which was supposedly delayed just so AF/91 could be smuggled into Iraq and start working—at which point it was activated, disabling Iraqi air defenses and rendering half of their computers and printers unserviceable.
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but required lengthy periods of time to work as intended, even after its activation time was reduced by 75%, reportedly taking several weeks to set up, learn, and activate on systems operating 24 hours every day.
371:, were cloaked in printers and other office equipment similar to how the original article said AF/91 was smuggled into Iraq, with such viruses often effective against Windows and
202:
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magazine volume 13, issue 13. Gantz claimed in the article that he had first heard of AF/91 in a conversation he overheard at the 1991 Federal Office
Systems Expo (FOSE), a
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Technology writer George Smith, remarking on the wide acceptability of AF/91's existence as fact in spite of clear evidence of its fictional nature, wrote in his
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205:, allowing the virus to spread rapidly. By then, the virus had "mutated", capable of permanently embedding itself into a computer's
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revisited Gantz's story, this time reporting that viruses similar to AF/91 had actually been developed. The real unnamed viruses,
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186:. After infecting an Iraqi air defense site, AF/91 remained dormant in Iraqi computer systems until the opening stages of the
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convention. Most other details relating to AF/91 came from an unnamed friend, who Gantz claimed was employed as a
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additions were made to the story of AF/91 that were not present in Gantz's original article, including that:
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AF/91 originated from the article "Meta-Virus Set to
Unleash Plague on Windows 3.0 Users" written by
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reported AF/91's existence as though it was real, with the story presented as an early example of
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At the end of the article, Gantz revealed the secret of what "AF/91" meant: "91 is the
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AF/91 was installed in the printer itself, not separate software that came with it
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were noted to be especially vulnerable to the virus, as were computers running
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The Next World War: Computers Are the
Weapons and the Front Line Is Everywhere
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operations. In the lead-up to
Operation Desert Storm, AF/91 was installed on
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brought several infected printers with them; these were then used by the
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Triumph
Without Victory: The Unreported History of the Persian Gulf War
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Triumph
Without Victory: The Unreported History of the Persian Gulf War
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230:
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25:
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292:. Media outlets said to have reported on AF/91 as fact included the
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The software AF/91 was installed on was specifically a computer chip
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Fake computer virus envisioned as an April Fools' Day joke in 1991
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However, AF/91 unintentionally made its way out of Iraq after
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Ministry of
Information and Communications Technology of Iran
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312:. Others that erroneously presented AF/91 as real included
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405:"Meta-Virus Set to Unleash Plague on Windows 3.0 Users"
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joke; in reality, no such virus ever existed, and the
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AF/91 was described as a "meta-virus" designed as a "
142:(as mentioned in the article's title). AF/91 used a
162:during the Gulf War as part of the U.S. military's
271:AF/91 actually failed, being destroyed after the
71:editor John Gantz, published on April 1, 1991 in
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330:analyst in a paper about Russian cyberwarfare.
268:The printers used in the operation were French
284:Though AF/91 was intended as a joke, several
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306:, and several American newspapers such as
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483:. Granite Island Group. February 12, 2003
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584:"Pentagon's 'Kill Switch': Urban Myth?"
120:and permanently freezing the computer.
108:". AF/91 was claimed to be able to eat
739:Computer-related introductions in 1991
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241:unit inserted the virus into a dug-up
158:(NSA) developed AF/91 to defeat Iraqi
100:systems by "attacking the software in
86:automated data processing specialist.
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34:United States Intelligence Community
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684:Moynihan, Michael (May 29, 2013).
658:Lemos, Robert (December 1, 2010).
318:in their March 1999 issue, author
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530:
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446:"Iraqi Cyberwar: an Ageless Joke"
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164:Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses
444:Smith, George (March 10, 2003).
44:. The hoax originated in a 1991
660:"Attack of the Trojan printers"
582:Hambling, David (May 2, 2000).
245:connected to Iraqi air defenses
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275:bombed the building storing it
254:The Iraqi system targeted was
154:According to the article, the
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403:Gantz, John (April 1, 1991).
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617:U.S. News & World Report
336:U.S. News & World Report
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184:Central Intelligence Agency
32:purportedly created by the
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625:(1st ed.). New York:
505:Wilson, Jim (March 1999).
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724:1991 in military history
239:U.S. Army Special Forces
156:National Security Agency
50:article published as an
280:Media misinterpretation
221:for April Fool's Day."
146:that learned with each
77:U.S. federal government
734:April Fools' Day jokes
138:, namely the then-new
96:" and used to disable
686:"You're Being Hacked"
540:Adams, James (1998).
517:Hearst Communications
507:"Information Warfare"
309:The Commercial Appeal
188:Gulf War air campaign
619:(February 4, 1992).
548:Simon & Schuster
197:pilots deserting to
369:penetration testing
263:command and control
229:Over time, several
160:air defense systems
106:display controllers
69:Tech Street Journal
324:The Next World War
260:Iraqi Armed Forces
214:to counter AF/91.
212:antivirus software
174:and smuggled into
98:real-time computer
729:April 1991 events
512:Popular Mechanics
322:in his 1998 book
315:Popular Mechanics
243:fiber-optic cable
225:Further additions
136:operating systems
133:Microsoft Windows
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749:Gulf War fiction
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454:. Archived from
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52:April Fools' Day
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170:software for a
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207:display device
144:neural network
129:computer chips
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30:computer virus
28:surrounding a
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339:'s 1992 book
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754:Virus hoaxes
744:Cyberwarfare
697:February 17,
695:. Retrieved
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669:February 17,
667:. Retrieved
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621:
611:
601:February 17,
599:. Retrieved
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546:. New York:
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522:February 17,
520:. Retrieved
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487:November 13,
485:. Retrieved
462:November 13,
460:. Retrieved
456:the original
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416:November 13,
414:. Retrieved
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290:cyberwarfare
286:news outlets
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168:Trojan horse
153:
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72:
68:
66:
45:
21:
20:
18:
719:1991 hoaxes
627:Times Books
320:James Adams
219:Julian Date
140:Windows 3.0
114:peripherals
63:Description
40:during the
38:cyberweapon
713:Categories
379:References
231:apocryphal
94:palindrome
26:virus hoax
664:InfoWorld
596:1059-1028
410:InfoWorld
375:systems.
361:InfoWorld
359:In 2010,
303:Nightline
84:U.S. Navy
73:InfoWorld
47:InfoWorld
691:Newsweek
645:24503100
566:38976269
326:, and a
178:through
126:Motorola
42:Gulf War
481:"Email"
182:by the
172:printer
116:with a
110:windows
102:printer
643:
633:
594:
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347:Legacy
265:system
180:Jordan
24:was a
588:Wired
373:Linux
122:Intel
36:as a
22:AF/91
699:2023
671:2023
641:OCLC
631:ISBN
603:2023
592:ISSN
562:OCLC
552:ISBN
524:2023
489:2015
464:2015
418:2015
256:Kari
199:Iran
176:Iraq
124:and
104:and
333:In
298:CNN
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574:^
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532:^
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407:.
387:^
300:,
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237:A
701:.
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