Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!crdgw1!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!unix.cis.pitt.edu!dsinc!netnews.upenn.edu!vax1.cc.lehigh.edu!cert.sei.cmu.edu!krvw From: 0003158580@mcimail.com (William Hugh Murray) Newsgroups: comp.virus Subject: OS/2 Viruses (OS/2) Message-ID: <0013.9009171151.AA09647@ubu.cert.sei.cmu.edu> Date: 16 Sep 90 00:58:00 GMT Sender: Virus Discussion List Lines: 41 Approved: krvw@sei.cmu.edu >Does anybody know something about OS/2 viruses ? I hope that there is nothing to know. I suspect that the population of instances of OS/2 is still far too small to support sucessful viruses. >Will there be new possibilities to transport and/or hide >viruses? In all likelyhood. OS/2 is significantly richer and more complex than DOS. For the moment it is also much more obscure. >Has anybody already proved that there are new mechanisms >possible, Not to my knowledge, but nothing would surprise me. >and if so: What can be done against them ? A great deal. The 80386, which OS/2 requires, provides multiple states of privilege. Thus, there can be mechanisms for fighting the virus which the virus cannot see. Such mechanisms can be much more effective than those that we have in the 808X based systems. >Did OS/2-Viruses already appear somewhere ? I have not heard reports of any. That may be evidence that there are no reports, that no such viruses have been successful, or that none have been attempted. ____________________________________________________________________ William Hugh Murray 203-966-4769 Information System Security 203-326-1833 (CELLULAR) Consultant to Deloitte & Touche 203-761-3088 Wilton, Connecticut email: 315-8580@MCIMAIL.COM WHMurray@DOCKMASTER.NCSC.MIL MCI-Mail: 315-8580 TELEX: 6503158580 FAX: 203-966-8612 Compu-Serve: 75126,1722 21 Locust Avenue, Suite 2D DASnet: [DCM1WM]WMURRAY New Canaan, Connecticut 06840 PRODIGY: DXBM57A