Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!iuvax!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!tank!eecae!netnews.upenn.edu!vax1.cc.lehigh.edu!sei.cmu.edu!krvw From: TUCKER@UNLVAX3.BITNET (Beware of programmers bearing screwdrivers!) Newsgroups: comp.virus Subject: Quirks in shrink wrapped software (PC) Message-ID: <0005.8910231421.AA08239@ge.sei.cmu.edu> Date: 17 Oct 89 15:12:00 GMT Sender: Virus Discussion List Lines: 33 Approved: krvw@sei.cmu.edu Just yesterday, as I was installing Lotus Freelance Plus, I began to notice inconsistencies between Copyright registration procedures and safe anti-virus practices. The following is extracted from the manual "Getting Started" on page 1-9. " Step 1. Run FL_FIRST The FL_FIRST program validates your copy of Freelance Plus. All users must run this program before backing up or using the Freelance Plus diskettes. " Because this registration step involves writing the user and company name to the original master, it is necessary to write-enable the disk and put it in the machine. However, being at the head of the anti-virus campaign for the university, I noticed that this really doesn't allow for safe security practices. ALL documentation that I have read or written to defend systems against viruses suggests that all shrink wrapped software be write-protected and backed up before that software is installed on the system, thereby insuring that you will have at least one copy of everything that isn't infected by a virus. Assuming that my system has viruses, then I could safely say that there is a good chance my Lotus Freelance Plus masters are also infected. Thanks Lotus for your insight on making my system secure... Gregory Tucker- Microcomputer Assistant UNL Computing Resource Center Bitnet: tucker@unlvax3, tucker@unoma1, tucker@unlvax1 Internet: tucker@crchpux.unl.edu, tucker@engvms.unl.edu Noisenet: (402)472-5761 Snailnet: 326 Administration Lincoln, NE 68588-0496