The programme was a cyber-worm, and within 24 hours had spread like a virus, affecting 6,000 of the estimated 60,000 computers connected to the internet at that point. The FBI, which investigated the case, later said: "Whether accidental or not, the first Internet attack- was a wake-up call for the country and the cyber age to come1."
I mention this as an illustration that while progress is generally good, it invariably carries new risk. In his book, "The Future of Money", academic Eswar S Prasad writes fluently on this issue in the context of financial services innovation.