Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!vx2!spector
From: spector@vx2.GBA.NYU.EDU (David HM Spector)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: nVIR virus
Message-ID: <6860001@vx2.GBA.NYU.EDU>
Date: 16 Mar 88 19:31:00 GMT
References: <22168@bbn.COM>
Organization: New York University
Lines: 49



The following is my own opinion, but an informed one.  I have a collection
of quite a few Macintosh viruses and am working on designing stragegies
for detecting and defending against them, so take the following with 
that in mind:

The distribution of ANY virus sources, benign or othewrwise would be a very 
VERY bad thing.  It has now been shown through the experience with Mattias
Urlichs demonstration virus exactly what happens when such sources are
distributed.  They generate more viruses.  

In fact we have now seen that the distribution of a virus in any form, 
including  as object code or executables (i.e., the Brandow/MacMag virus)
gives malicious persons excellent programming models upon which to base
even nastier things.  This is not a "possibility", its already happening.

I understand the desire to understand how these things work, but you
don't need the source for one to figure it out -- they work EXACTLY as
you'd think they would.  Just think about a logical way to write one, and 
you're probably correct.   

In any case, There is no practical benefit to writing viruses; write some 
great tool or application - become rich and famous then open a deli in like
Mitch Kapor...    :-}

The upshot of this note is:  
	PLEASE DO _NOT_ POST SOURCES OR OBJECTS FOR VIRUS PROGRAMS OR TROJANS!

Also, please do not send me mail asking for any viruses I may have, requests
for such things will be firmly (but politely) rejected.  I have to date 
satisfied only 3 such requests, all from organisations with an absolutely 
justifiable need for such information. (University Computer Center Staff's and
concerned company information managers are NOT among them... sorry.)



			David



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
David HM Spector				New York University
Senior Systems Programmer			Graduate School of Business
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