Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!unix.cis.pitt.edu!dsinc!netnews.upenn.edu!vax1.cc.lehigh.edu!cert.sei.cmu.edu!krvw
From: pham@px3.stfx.ca (Hai Pham)
Newsgroups: comp.virus
Subject: re: Virus Vaccine (PC)
Message-ID: <0003.9101072020.AA02845@ubu.cert.sei.cmu.edu>
Date: 4 Jan 91 02:05:34 GMT
Sender: Virus Discussion List <VIRUS-L@LEHIIBM1>
Lines: 32
Approved: krvw@sei.cmu.edu

In reply to Evelyn Duncan's question for a PC Virex equivalent.

I could be very wrong (if there's away to do it, someone will find
away to), but as far as I know, your friend should not need a virus
shield to protect himself from infection if all he's going to do is
dial in and use your VM system interactively.  This is because for a
virus to enter a computer through a modem, it must enter via an
infected program which was downloaded into his computer.  If he does
download programs into his system, then all he would have to do is to
check it over with a virus scan program, such as McAfee's "scan".
This is because before a virus can infect the system, the infected
program would have to be ran first, so if you scan for virus infection
before you run the program, you will catch them before they can do any
harm.

There is no way in which your friend could be infected by something
like the Internet Worm, if he is only using a terminal emulator.  The
reason the Internet Worm was able to infect all those Internet sites
was because the computers involved all ran a common operating system
(UNIX), and it took advantage of a bug in the UNIX mail program to get
into the remote system.

If I am wrong on any of the above points, I would appreciate immediate
feed back (so I can take steps to protect my computer).

*******************************************
Hai Pham
TPI, Physics Dept.
Box 383, Saint Francis Xavier University
Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada, B2G 1C0.
Email: pham@phoenix.stfx.ca (Internet)
*******************************************