Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!unix.cis.pitt.edu!dsinc!netnews.upenn.edu!vax1.cc.lehigh.edu!cert.sei.cmu.edu!krvw
From: USERGSVE@LNCC.BITNET (George Svetlichny)
Newsgroups: comp.virus
Subject: Taking out A: & USSR BBS
Message-ID: <0008.9103291939.AA00169@ubu.cert.sei.cmu.edu>
Date: 29 Mar 91 00:00:02 GMT
Sender: Virus Discussion List <VIRUS-L@LEHIIBM1>
Lines: 49
Approved: krvw@sei.cmu.edu

I - Taking out A:

After a recent attack by Joshi on my department's XT used for TeX
editing, I decided to try a dirty approach against boot viruses:
taking out the A: drive and leaving only drive B: around. The
hardware complains at boot-up but continues on to boot from the
Winchester.  With this success, I did the same on most other
two-drive machines (a few administrative programs require a disk in
A: to function), and reconfigured the one-drive machine's drives to
be B: also. Some fiddling with set-up's and hardware is usually
required. Since no user *really* needs two floppy drives this should
take care of all boot infectors which by the way are the most common
viruses around here (Ping-Pong, Stoned, and Joshi are endemic in Rio
de Janeiro). Of course, if I ever need to boot from a floppy, I will
have to open the machine and mess around with cables or jumpers, but
this is so rare that it doesn't seem like an unreasonable price. Any
comments?

DICLAIMER - If anyone else tries this, he/she does at own risk, I
cannot be held responsible for any damage or inconvenience resulting
from unusual hardware configurations.

II - USSR BBS

In Virus-l 4/48 Selden E. Ball, Jr. <seb@lns61.tn.cornell.edu>
writes:

> It is now possible to direct-dial computer bulletin boards in the USSR
> and eastern European countries. Many of them are already on FidoNet.
> The following list of BBSs was recently posted to a widely read
> news group.
>
> The potential transmission speed for computer viruses is
> increasing faster than your favorite comparison.
> sigh.

Selden is here trying to perpetrate the popular myth that BBSs are a
major vector for computer virus transmission. Discounting the rare
"Virus BBSs" the opposite is usually true. Instead of seeing in the
increased number of Soviet BBSs a new virus threat, the prolifiration
of networked BBSs should be welcomed as a potential and strong ally in
the dissimination of proper anti-virus information and tools.  This
has certainly been the case here in Brazil.

 George Svetlichny                 |
 Department of Mathematics         |
 Pontificia Universidade Catolica  |
 Rio de Janeiro, Brasil            |
 usergsve@lncc.bitnet              |