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1994-03-01
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12KB
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258 lines
*************************************************************
Announcing
The
Second International Virus Writing Contest
Sponsored by
American Eagle Publications, Inc.
P.O. Box 41401
Tucson, AZ 85717 USA
and
The Crypt Infosystems BBS
+1 (818) 683-0854
*** The Goal ***
The purpose of this contest is to write a fully functional
computer virus that entertains people with political satire.
Viruses will be judged on the basis of originality,
creativity, functionality, and political incorrectness.
*** Eligibility ***
Anyone who can write a computer virus is eligible.
*** Contest Dates ***
The contest is underway from January 1, 1994 until June 30,
1994. Your submissions must be received by June 30 to
qualify. The winner of the contest will be announced at the
DEFCON conference in Las Vegas, July 22-24, 1994. If you can
be present, an official award will be bestowed on you at that
time.
*************************************************************
Details
*************************************************************
The philosopher Friedrik Nietzsche once said that if you want
to kill something, you must laugh at it--and laugh at it
deeply. So there should be little wonder that political
satire is as old as politics itself.
Is there something going on in the political arena that you
abhor, that makes you sick, that is just plain wrong? Well,
here's your chance to make a mockery of it. I've always had
this idea that if someone wrote a sufficiently witty virus
that really addressed the issues the way the people (not the
press, not the politicians) saw them, it might just get
passed around by people voluntarily.
Let's find out.
Write a virus that is itself a political satire. I don't mean
a virus that simply displays a message. I mean a living
entity whose every move--whose every action--is politically
motivated. If you need more than one virus to make your
point--perhaps two viruses working together, or something
like that, that is fine.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Let me give you a simple example: The Political Correctness
Virus
This virus is a spoof on the "political correctness"
movement--which is just a form of self-imposed censorship--
that is sweeping american intellectual circles, particularly
colleges and universities.
This virus is a memory resident boot sector virus which
maintains a list of politically incorrect words on your
computer system. It also hooks the keyboard interrupt and
monitors every keystroke you make. If you type a politically
incorrect word into the computer, the PCV springs into
action.
Politically incorrect words are ranked at three different
offense levels. When the PCV encounters such a word, it
determines what offense level that word is, and acts
accordingly.
The least offensive words merely register a beep. More
offensive words cause a beep to sound for 10 seconds. The
most offensive words cause a siren to sound for two minutes,
locking the system for that duration. If you turn the
computer off before the two minutes are up, the virus will
stop the boot process for five minutes, with sirens, when you
turn it back on. If you allow the siren to complete, then you
can proceed.
The virus has two different word lists, both stored in an
encrypted and compressed format. The list is selected
at random when the system is infected, after which it cannot
be changed. The first list is the "proper" list of
political correctness no-no's. For example, a word like
"sodomite" is among the worst possible offenses. The
second list is an inverted list of no-no's. This list trys
to force you to use "sodomite" by flagging words like "gay"
and "homosexual" as no-no's.
If you allow the PCV to live in your system for three months
without getting a single flag, you are given the supreme
honor of viewing the word list assigned to you and adding a
word to it. If you get more than 3000 flags in a lifetime,
the virus will force you to enter a politically correct word
before allowing you to start the computer, since you are
obviously unwilling to submit to its censorship.
The virus also uses powerful means to prevent disinfection,
so that, once you get it, you can't get rid of it without a
major effort.
------------------------------------------------------------
Now, I know you can get a lot more creative than this--so do
it! Design your virus carefully, so that everything it does
has meaning. Then send it in.
Here are the criteria we'll use:
1. Originality: Your virus must be an original work. Do not
send us anything that is not 100% yours. Your message should
be original too. Do not just ape what everybody else is
saying, especially the media. Also, a refined wit is much
to be preferred over vulgarity. Vulgarity is a substitute for
original wit. Foul language, porn, etc., are out. Destructive
features should be incorporated only if they are VERY
appropriate (perhaps if you are commenting on real live
genocide in your country, or something like that). In
general, though, destructive features will hurt you, not help
you. The one exception is modifying anti-virus programs. That
is considered to be CONstructive activity.
2. Creativity: Make us laugh, make us cry. Amaze us with how
bits and bytes can say something about politics and issues.
Think of it like this: displaying a message on the screen is
like reading a text file. What we want is the equivalent of a
multi-media extrvaganza. Use all the system's resources to
tell your message. Don't be afraid to write a virus that has
some wierd mode of infecting programs that tells a story, or
to write one that sends faxes to the White House, or sends an
automatic request for reams of free information to some
government agency.
3. Functionality: The virus has to work. If it only works on
some machines, or under some versions of DOS, or what-not,
then that will count against you. The better it is at
infecting systems and moving around, the better off you will
be. So, for example, if you write a file-infector, make sure
it can jump directories, and--if you're up to it--migrate
across a network.
4. Political incorrectness: Since computer viruses are
politically incorrect, their message should be too. If you
send us a pro-establishment virus, then you will not win this
contest. A word to the wise: think twice about what's correct
and what's not. Many positions are only superficially
incorrect, though they are really quite fasionable among the
establishment. Look at it this way: if you could get a well-
written letter expressing your view published in a big city
newspaper, then it's not sufficiently incorrect. There are a
LOT of ideas that are unofficially censored by society--
especially the media and academia. They tend to make
themselves out to be the rebels, but they are really the
establishment. If you can't think of anything creatively
incorrect and sufficiently obnoxious then you shouldn't be
writing viruses in the first place.
*************************************************************
How to Submit an Entry
You may mail your entry to American Eagle Publications at the
above address, or you may e-mail it to ameagle@mcimail.com.
Alternatively, you can submit it by dialing the Crypt
Infosystems BBS and uploading it there. To get on to the
system quickly, efficiently and anonymously, log on as VIRUS,
using the password CONTEST.
An entry consists of:
1. A complete copy of your virus, both source and executable
files.
2. If the political satire isn't perfectly obvious, send a
verbal description of how the virus works and why it does
what it does. This is especially important if you are not an
American and you are commenting on something that has
not received worldwide attention. I don't care if you're
Bulgarian and you're commenting on something we've never
heard of--just make sure you explain it, or we won't
understand and you'll lose.
3. If you want to be recognized for your work, include your
name (real or handle), and a way we can get in contact with
you.
By submitting an entry, you grant American Eagle
Publications, Inc. the right to publish your virus in any
form. You agree not to make your virus public prior to July
25, 1994. If you do, you are automatically disqualified from
the contest.
For the sake of privacy, you may encrypt your entry and
send it in with the following PGP key (which we highly
recommend if you have PGP):
-----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
Version: 2.1
mQCNAi09jVgAAAEEAN3M9LFQXeBprkZuKo5NtuMC+82qNd3/8saHLO6iuGe/eUai
8Vx7yqqpyLjZDGbAS7bvobrcY3IyFeu8PXG4T8sd+g81P0AY0PHUqxxPG3COvBfP
oRd+79wB66YCTjKSwd3KVaC7WG/CyXDIX5W6KwCaGL/SFXqRChWdf2BGDUCRAAUR
tApDT05URVNUXzk0
=Z20c
-----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
Good luck!
****************************************************************
P R I Z E S
In addition to instant worldwide fame and recognition, you'll
get:
1. A cash prize of $100 US.
2. A year's subscription to Computer Virus Developments
Quarterly.
3. Your virus will be published in Computer Virus
Developments Quarterly, and other fine journals.
4. A handsome engraved plaque recognizing your contribution
to the betterment of mankind.
5. A free secret surprise that we cannot tell you about
right now, valued at $100.
Two runner-ups will receive the secret surprise.
*****************************************************************
!! GO FOR IT !!
*****************************************************************