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: Subject: Why write viruses In VIRUS-L V2no57 "Michael J. Steiner " 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 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 Subject: special list, just say no. I agree with Kenneth W. Loafman 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 ********************* Downloaded From P-80 International Information Systems 304-744-2253