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From: XPUM04@prime-a.central-services.umist.ac.uk (Anthony Appleyard)
Newsgroups: comp.virus
Subject: What does Compucilina do? (PC)
Message-ID: <0005.9103081913.AA10967@ubu.cert.sei.cmu.edu>
Date: 7 Mar 91 11:46:12 GMT
Sender: Virus Discussion List <VIRUS-L@LEHIIBM1>
Lines: 16
Approved: krvw@sei.cmu.edu

The new  antiviral  called  Compucilina  has  caused  discussion  in  these
messages in Virus-L vol4:-                                            ISSUE
[non-sacaning anti-virus techniques] preventing infection (sacan = scan)
  I have a program vaccinater called COMPUCILINA                        028
info re [Compucilina (PC)]                                              030
[non-scanin anti-virus techniques] (scanin=scanning) How Compucilina works
  is a commercial secret. It does not scan for particular viruses       034
[Re: Compucilina (PC)] will not prevent infection                       034

If Compucilina doesn't scan for each known virus, how does  it  distinguish
between viruses and valid programs? Ref a long discussion on possibility or
impossibility  of  a  'general  virus detector', that took place in Virus-L
vol3. I mistrust 'black boxes', and it seems that how Compucilina works  is
a  commercial  secret.  It  seems  that  someone should print out a copy of
Compucilina and go through its code, to find what it does.
{A.Appleyard} (email: APPLEYARD@UK.AC.UMIST), Thu, 07 Mar 91 11:35:56 GMT