Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!sugar!peter
From: peter@sugar.uu.net (Peter da Silva)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: The ultimate fix!!!
Message-ID: <2784@sugar.uu.net>
Date: 10 Oct 88 19:49:16 GMT
References: <681@zehntel.UUCP> <3084@hermes.ai.mit.edu> <4197@thorin.cs.unc <9880@cup.portal.com>
Organization: Sugar Land Unix - Houston, TX
Lines: 60

In article <9880@cup.portal.com>, dan-hankins@cup.portal.com writes:
> In article <2762@sugar.uu.net> peter@sugar.uu.net (Peter da Silva) writes:
> >> 2. PD/Shareware that comes without source, particularly shareware.

> >On *UNIX*?

> No.  On any system.  This is comp.sys.amiga, after all.

I *know* that. The discussion, however, has veered to "is UNIX safe from
viruses", and I'm trying to defend the position that it's a lot safer than
non-protected proprietary systems. I've never said that it's 100% safe, just
that it's safe enough that people wanting to have a little malicious fun
are likely to direct their attentions somewhere they get more bang for the
buck.

It all started when I tossed off a remark to the effect that if viruses
worry you that much, switch to UNIX.

See what you get when you jump into the conversation half-way through?
(lots of smileys, OK?)

> I'm worried about my *Amiga*.

Me too. I practice safe computing, as much as I can, so I'm not *too*
worried. I'll be more worried when I get a hard disk, but that's a ways
off. I'll probably upgrade to a 2000 first. Or maybe, the way things
are going, to a 3000 so I don't have to get a 3000-and-2 box. :->

> You must not buy much software.

Again, on UNIX, no I don't buy much software.

Come to think of it, I don't buy much Amiga software either. See previous
paragraph, re "hard disk".

> Second, all it takes is for one infected file to get in, and then your
> entire system is infected.  Maybe *you* read the source code for every
> program you get over the net,

Before I post it to alt.sources.amiga I at least give it an eyeball. And
I test-run it on a system with no writable permanent devices. I guess a virus
could get by. Let me know if it does, eh?

> Third, it is possible for there to exist a virus which does the following:

> * gets control
> * infects the source code of each .c program over a certain size that has
>   any writes done to it (like when you edit it).

This is probably a difficult (in the theoretical sense) for a virus to
do automatically. I still haven't found a reliable 'ctags' that can deal
with all the variations of 'c' source formatting that comes across my desk.
I suspect this virus would have to have most of a complete 'C' parser, which
would be rather big for a virus.

Oh, I'm sure that there are ways of doing it, but again it's easier to write
a program that infects the boot block or selected system commands.
-- 
		Peter da Silva  `-_-'  peter@sugar.uu.net
		 Have you hugged  U  your wolf today?