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All eyes of the world are on Pakistan. Pakistan is mediating for peace talks between America and Iran. Serena Hotel in Islamabad has been chosen for this peace talks. Only time will tell what will be the outcome of peace talks, but in the meantime the brain virus originating from Pakistan has come into discussion. There is discussion about it on social media. This was the first computer virus, which was created by two brothers from Pakistan.

It was known by many names. Like Lahore virus, brain virus and Pakistani brain virus. It was created by 19-year-old Pakistani programmer Basit Farooq Alvi and his 26-year-old brother Amjad Farooq Alvi. This was the first computer virus made specifically for IBM-PC.

Why was the virus created for 40 years?

The brain virus which was prepared by the two brothers of Lahore was released in the year 1986. It was sent to the computer through a floppy disk. The special thing was that that virus was not created to cause destruction but to stop piracy.

In 2011, computer security expert Mikko Hypponen had uploaded an interview conducted with the Alvi brothers in Lahore, Pakistan. Now let us know its complete history. According to the report of Time Magazine, a shop named Brain Computer Services used to sell computer programs like Lotus 1-2-3 and Worldstar. Whose price was in hundreds of dollars in America at that time. But many students gradually brought low priced discs to buy it. There was an opportunity for the youth who came to visit Lahore, the historical city of Pakistan, who used computer programs. He started buying pirated versions. As a result, the sales of that program started declining.

Became a programmer while fixing computers

Brothers Amjad Farooq Alvi (26) and Basit Farooq Alvi (19), who grew up in Lahore, learned the intricacies of computers on their own. Amjad was the owner of Brain Computer Shop. Both were experts in programming. After graduating in Physics from Panjab University, he started reading electronics books. Taught myself the basics of computer repair and programming. For many years he earned his living by repairing personal computers.

For many years, the Alvi brothers earned their living by repairing personal computers.

By 1985, he got into programming and creating custom software, which he was saddened to see was being copied and used without his permission in Lahore. Then Amjad got the idea of ​​making a virus. He created a virus that could infect the pirated version. Change the way that program works.

Virus inserted to catch piracy

Basit said, “He wanted a way to detect piracy and catch those using such software.” Meanwhile, the Alvi brothers were making fake copies of American programs and selling them at huge discounts. Eventually, they started creating viruses and putting them in the same program disks as well.

Brain virus was created to stop piracy.

When Pakistanis came to buy software like Lotus 1-2-3, they were sold clean, virus-free copies. But foreigners, especially Americans, were given the version containing the virus. Why this special treatment to foreigners? On this, both the brothers argued that the reason for this was Pakistani law.

Work stopped after teaching a lesson to thieves

According to Basit, copyright protection in Pakistan does not apply to computer software. Therefore, he said that technically it is not illegal for local citizens to trade in illegal discs. They are not involved in software piracy. So why are American buyers infected? This Basit said, “Because you are stealing. You should be punished.”The Alvi brothers said that they had stopped selling the software around 1987 because they felt that the software had taught thieves a lesson.