On January 24, 2003, the SQL Slammer worm — just 376 bytes of code — exploited an unpatched Microsoft SQL Server vulnerability and infected 75,000 servers in 11 minutes, crashing ATMs, disrupting 911 services, and causing an estimated $750M–$1.2B in global damage.
RFC 3514, published on April 1, 2003, proposed a radical solution to internet security: requiring attackers to mark their malicious packets with a special "Evil Bit." Several software systems later claimed they had implemented support for it.
On April 28, 2003, Apple launched the iTunes Music Store — making it possible to buy a single track for $0.99. In its first week, one million tracks were sold, proving that people would pay for music if you made it easy enough.
