Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!tank!eecae!netnews.upenn.edu!vax1.cc.lehigh.edu!sei.cmu.edu!krvw
From: THCY@VAX5.CCS.CORNELL.EDU (Mark H. Anbinder)
Newsgroups: comp.virus
Subject: Re: nVIR and AppleTalk (Mac)
Message-ID: <0002.y8907131623.AA04591@ge.sei.cmu.edu>
Date: 13 Jul 89 02:23:00 GMT
Sender: Virus Discussion List <VIRUS-L@IBM1.CC.Lehigh.EDU>
Lines: 31
Approved: krvw@sei.cmu.edu

*On 5 July Joe McMahon <XRJDM@SCFVM.GSFC.NASA.GOV> said...
>If your AppleTalk network only is used for mail or access to
>LaserWriters, you shouldn't have a problem. If you have AppleShare
>servers, make sure the servers are protected. You may have to disinfect
>the odd machine here and there, but the servers should be safe.

It's true that if your network is only used for printing that CURRENTLY
KNOWN Mac viruses can't spread over the network.  Some electronic mail
software, though, lets users exchange files or even applications.  If an
application that's infected is transferred in this way, the infection
WILL be transferred.

There is no simple way of "protecting" servers themselves against the
infection of the files they hold.  If an application stored on the server
is executed by a person using an infected machine, that application will
probably be infected.  You cannot run such things as Vaccine or GateKeeper
or SAM Intercept on a server machine.  Well, you can, but it only keeps
software being run ON the server from being infected; it does nothing to
prevent software that RESIDES on the server from being infected.  The
best way to do that is still to make sure that each workstation is as
secure as possible, using frequent checks with Disinfectant, Virex, or
SAM (currently the three most up to date programs), and protection with
such programs as Vaccine, GateKeeper, or SAM Intercept (the best of the
three, but not free).

For the curious, SAM is a new package of antiviral utilities from Symantec,
the same people who created SUM.  It stands for Symantec Antivirus for
the Macintosh.  I haven't finished evaluating it, but it looks great.  I
will post more about it shortly.

Mark H. Anbinder