Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!rutgers!bellcore!faline!thumper!lamb
From: lamb@thumper.bellcore.com (John W. Lamb)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Virus Author comes forward!!!
Message-ID: <900@thumper.bellcore.com>
Date: 31 Dec 87 20:49:15 GMT
References: <3007@cbmvax.UUCP> <3008@cbmvax.UUCP> <6028@cisunx.UUCP> <597@inria.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Communications Research, Morristown NJ
Lines: 33
Keywords: virus, diskkiller

In article <597@inria.UUCP>, rouaix@inria.UUCP (Francois Rouaix) writes:
>  The point is:
> 	1- You may be contaminated only by a bootable disk
> 	2- Commercial software are not contaminated when sealed under
> 		the original package...
> 	3- PD disks are generally not bootable, and the official ones are
> 		healthy.
> I think I will leave the conclusion to your bright minds.
> 	
> 	If you got to the same conclusion that I draw, you will notice
> 	that indeed the pirates that originally wrote the Virus are 
> 	helping Software producers by making pirated copies unsafe.
> 
> 	And finally, to CATS : DON'T DISTRIBUTE this so-called Virus Protector.

Consider the following scenario:

Pirate A comes by infected disks in some less than honest manner.
The virus spreads throughout his collection and, before he discovers
it, he gives copies of infected public domain disks to non-pirate B.  
A has no idea that the disks are infected and B has no idea that A is 
a pirate.

All of a sudden, B discovers that some of his copy protected
software no longer works and finds out that his friends who received
copies of infected disks from him are having the same problem.  
Since A, B and the others share lots of PD software, it is impossible
to tell who started the problem.

Shall we then penalize B and his non-pirate friends by withholding
the virus protector from them?  I for one would rather see the virus 
protector in the hands of the pirates.  Thank you, CATS, for
the prompt development and distribution of this program.