Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!decwrl!limbo!taylor
From: mrs@netcom.COM (Morgan Schweers)
Newsgroups: comp.society
Subject: Re: Apathy and viral spread
Message-ID: <1847@limbo.Intuitive.Com>
Date: 14 Mar 91 19:36:24 GMT
Sender: taylor@limbo.Intuitive.Com
Organization: McAfee Associates
Lines: 47
Approved: taylor@Limbo.Intuitive.Com

Greetings,

    I'll put forth my own opinions about the computer virus apathy problem
here.
 
    The major problem that I have seen is how to disseminate information to
the public without being seen as trying to promote scare-tactics.  The truth
is that the only people I've known who are aware of the viral threat fall
into two basic categories...
 
    1)  People working in the anti-viral field.  This includes people such as
the original author, as well as people like myself (a programmer).

    2)  People who have been infected by a virus.  (It rarely actually means
anything the first time.  When they reinfect themselves the third and fourth
time, THEN it finally filters through to them that these things are a PROBLEM!)

    There are people who REFUSE to believe that their system could have a
problem like viruses.  It's these people who *smear* people in the first
category.  (The classic "It's unknown?  FEAR AND LOATHING!" reaction.)  The
major problem, in the past, has been that these people have had *MAJOR* voice
in the media.
 
    In all honesty, your odds of getting a virus are *FAR* less than the odds
of your hardware going bad or conflicts in your software.  A bit of common
sense SHOULD prevail in worrying about viruses.  Those of us in the anti-viral
field understand this, and try to make it clear.  The only words that the media
hears, however, is the ones that have emotional impact.  "VIRUSES CAN DESTROY
YOUR HARD DRIVE!"  "COMPUTER VIRUSES VIOLATE YOUR PERSONAL SECURITY!"
"COMPUTER VIRUSES ARE THE CAUSE OF THE PARKING PROBLEM IN DOWNTOWN DETROIT!"
 
    I think everyone will agree that what the media wants is 'sound bites' or
'catch-phrases' that they can bludgeon the people with.  None of the AV people
I know are doomsayers, but I've seen reporters take clear and simple things
they have said and turn it into 'your life is in danger!' type stories.
 
    I'd like to hear people's suggestions to the solving of this problem.  I,
being actively involved in the fight against computer viruses, have thought
this topic out.  Some fresh ideas would be nice.

    To recap:  Viruses *ARE* real, *SHOULD* be looked out for, but *SHOULD NOT*
be feared.  It doesn't take much to tell a user what to look for.  It takes
even less to tell them to do backups often.  The problem is that they *DON'T
BELIEVE* because of past hype.  (Also because of the "I'm invulnerable!"
attitude.)
 
Morgan Schweers