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: ccml@hippo.ru.ac.za (Mike Lawrie) Newsgroups: comp.virus Subject: Re: Interesting advert (PC) Message-ID: <0011.9106031950.AA02037@ubu.cert.sei.cmu.edu> Date: 1 Jun 91 14:37:34 GMT Sender: Virus Discussion List Lines: 40 Approved: krvw@sei.cmu.edu RADAI@HUJIVMS.BITNET (Y. Radai) writes: > Kenny Stevenson writes: >>Vaccine anti-virus system - "Vaccine is virus-non specific detection >>software. It uses cryptographic checksums to monitor the state of >>executables on a PC or file-server. Any change, however caused will >>be detected. Since Vaccine does not need to know about particular >>viruses in order to detect them, it is future proof. Once installed, >>Vaccine will detect all viruses, past, present and future." >There is absolutely nothing new in this ad. There are zillions of >checksum programs for the PC which claim to do the very same thing. They don't cater for this scenario:- 1. Somehow infect the RAM of your PC with a COM/EXE targetting virus, such as Plastique (eg run an infected program from a floppy, or from a network). 2. Run SCAN on your hard disk - this does a DOS open on all COM/EXE files on your hard disk, and thus infects each and every such file _after_ SCAN has pronounced them virus-free 3. You end up with every COM/EXE file on your disk having to be reloaded, but you believe otherwise until you find out the bitter truth 4. You treat checksum checking programs with utter disgust, because they fooled you into believing that you had protection. Don't say that is cannot happen, it DID. Mike - -- Mike Lawrie Director Computing Services, Rhodes University, South Africa .............................................. Rhodes University condemns racism and racial segregation