The first known ransomware, called the AIDS Trojan, appeared in 1989. Distributed on floppy disks via mail, it encrypted filenames and demanded a payment sent to a P.O. box. Users had no way to recover files without paying. This early experiment demonstrated the concept of digital extortion long before modern networks existed.
It matters because it shows ransomware has deep roots in computer history. Awareness of its origins helps understand its evolution.
It also highlights how social engineering and payment demands were part of ransomware from day one.
The first ransomware was mailed on floppy disks in 1989.
[Computer History Museum, computerhistory.org]