Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!pacbell!ames!ncar!gatech!udel!udccvax1!gdtltr
From: gdtltr@vax1.acs.udel.EDU (Gary D Duzan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: Re: Atari 8-bit virus??
Message-ID: <1328@udccvax1.acs.udel.EDU>
Date: 21 May 88 14:33:49 GMT
References: <959@fredonia.UUCP>
Reply-To: gdtltr@vax1.acs.udel.EDU (Gary D Duzan)
Organization: University of Delaware
Lines: 40

In article <959@fredonia.UUCP> sale5312@fredonia.UUCP (Marty Saletta) writes:
>
>  *please don't panic!!*
>
   *and don't forget your towel*

>  I'm just wondering if there was an XE virus going around.  i own
> an ST and 3 8-bits (two 400s (one 48K) and a 600) and was wondering
> this because i see so much about the ST virus and nothing of an 8 bit
> one.  i've never seen a "virus killer" program for the 8 bitters
> either.
>
   I have never seen a virus for the Atari 8-bits. I have thought about it 
before, and I think it would be fairly difficult to implement. One obstacle is
the fact that there are so many DOS's and disk formats. A virus might be able
to hide in sector 720 on a DOS 2.0s disk, but the same scheme would probably
not work on a DOS 2.5 disk and would certainly not work with SpartaDOS, MyDOS,
and all the other odd DOS's out there. Another obstacle is the noisy I/O. Even
if a virus is created, the Noisy I/O allows an experienced user to know 
what is going. For example, if you open a file for read and hear the low
clicks, you know something odd is going on. Creating an 8 bit virus would be an
interesting project. Maybe someone could make a benign one that does something
like print "Bang! You're dead!" after it has been copied X times. 

				     Gary Duzan
				     Time  Lord
                                 Third Regeneration
                              Atari ENthusiast Extreme




>  thanks in advance for any info! (hopefully positive)
>
>
>-- 
>Marty Saletta @ Fredonia,NY------------------------------------------------
>18/9/2012 T.V. FLASH ON ALL DIAL-A-PROGRAM SERVICES
>This is an announcement from Genetic Control: 
>"It is my sad duty to inform you of a 4ft. restriction on humanoid height."