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VIRUS-L Digest Monday, 6 Mar 1989 Volume 2 : Issue 58
Today's Topics:
Why write viruses
bouncing ball virus (PC)
special list, just say no.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 2 Mar 89 15:27 EST
From: <ACS045@GMUVAX.BITNET>
Subject: Why write viruses
In VIRUS-L V2no57 "Michael J. Steiner " <U23405@UICVM.BITNET> writes:
>The people who write viruses are usually (if not always) people who
>are very knowledgeable about computers. Being very knowledgeable about
>computers, these people might look down upon novices, and might write
>a virus, which would mostly affect novices (who sometimes barely even
>know that viruses exist) while not affecting other experts (who are
>aware of viruses and know the necessary precautions to avoid
>infection). Thus, a virus-writer can get pleasure out of
>confusing/disrupting the novices' efforts at learning about computers.
>(I hope I explained this clearly enough.)
Hmmm....interesting, but a little too broad in my opinion Mike. A
little less generalization would probably make this a lot more
plausible. Okay, yes, occasionally wizards/gurus do like to put one
over on the less experienced, because the naive user has been and
probably always will be a subject of amusement to cognescenti in a
limited sense. But by the time they know enough to wear the label, I
think they are also mature enough to know that: A. Viruses are just
NOT done to begin with. B. Directed, intentional maliciousness
against the unknowing is not done either and is usually considered not
terribly mature/kind.
The true hacker has both the knowledge of the system as well as the
knowledge of how to use that knowledge. (You could argue the case of
RTM as someone who went against this, but his original intentions were
to supposedly wake us up to the lax security on the net and not to
just go out and infect machines so he could laugh at all the people
whose machines were going down.) [This is is no way a defense of what
he did, or an attempt to start up the "Light Side/Dark Side Hacker"
issue again.]
I would say that the majority of viruses are written for one of the
following reasons:
1. Immature people who do it just to say they did it, or because they
thought it was "cool" or "in"
2. Disgruntled/Vengeful ex-users/ex-employees out for revenge.
3. An attempt to dispense the virus-writers own brand of "justice" by
punishing certain users. (ala the supposed motive behind the
creation of (c)BRAIN)
4. An attempt to scare up business for anti-virals.
5. Espionage (haven't seen this one yet, Thank God!)
Steve
- -------------------
Steve Okay ACS045@GMUVAX.BITNET/sokay@gmuvax2.gmu.edu/CSR032 on The Source
"Join today!!, free introductory offer to new
members! Its the `Beam Weseley Crusher into a
Bulkhead Society' "
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 3 Mar 89 16:08 N
From: ROB_NAUTA <RCSTRN@HEITUE5.BITNET>
Subject: bouncing ball virus (PC)
Hello.
A few months back our university was hit by a virus which spread
itself by modifying the bootsector and storing itself and a copy of
the original bootsector in a bad cluster. This may be an old one to
you, but here it was discovered recently. It can be stopped easely by
restoring the bootsector or by using protection like FluShot+. I am
disassembling the code, but I got a few questions:
- - Is this virus known ?
- - how does it work exactly ?
- - what are its actions ?
- - It spreads through bootsectors on bootable disks, but is there a 'seeder'
program, a COM or EXE file that releases the infection when run ?
- - If such a program exists, what is it called and has it been spotted
recently?
Any help would be appreciated
At the moment the only thing the virus does is show a bouncing ball
that bounces off text and the side of the screen and appears without a
reason or sometimes after heavy disk access. But I am afraid there is
a counter inside that makes it do worse things, like format disks.
Greetings
Rob J. Nauta
RCSTRN @ HEITUE51
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 3 Mar 89 11:19:47 CDT
From: Len Levine <len@evax.milw.wisc.edu>
Subject: special list, just say no.
I agree with Kenneth W. Loafman <convex!loafman@a.cs.uiuc.edu> in his
statement that a closed virus list is a bad idea.
I have had about the same experiences as he has and would expect that
if such a list were formed, I would need to be on it too. Who would
admit otherwise?
+ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - +
| Leonard P. Levine e-mail len@evax.milw.wisc.edu |
| Professor, Computer Science Office (414) 229-5170 |
| University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Home (414) 962-4719 |
| Milwaukee, WI 53201 U.S.A. Modem (414) 962-6228 |
+ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - +
------------------------------
End of VIRUS-L Digest
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