Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!rutgers!rochester!pt.cs.cmu.edu!andrew.cmu.edu!ll12+
From: ll12+@andrew.cmu.edu (Laura Ann Lemay)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Kill Virus
Message-ID: <4XXOiiR38k-00MTIF7@andrew.cmu.edu>
Date: 25 Nov 88 18:51:26 GMT
Organization: Carnegie Mellon
Lines: 45





Kill Virus is not a prevention program, its a removal program.  And it's the
ONLY (yes, the ONLY -- I've done extensive testing) program that will
completely remove and fix any applications or system files that have nVIR.

Other programs, such as Vaccination and AntiPan will remove nVIR from
applications, but don't touch the system, so you're right back where you
started.
KillVirus is an init that you put in your system folder.  When you boot up
with it, it removes nVIR from your system, if it's there.  After that, if
you run any application that has nVIR in it under that syustem, nVIR is
removed and the program is fixed.  It's all invisible and automatic, which
is the main reason I recommend it for nVIR.


There are two problems with it that might be confusing, tho.  The INIT itself
contains a "virus foil" that trips up Interferon -- it says the INIT is
infected.  THIS IS A FEATURE, NOT AN INFECTION.

The other thing it does is install another virus foil in your system file.
This is the nVIR 10 trick that the original programmer of nVIR put into the
virus to stop infection.  KillVirus puts it in your syustem file, which will
make it totally immune to nVIR.  It also trips up Interferon, however.


To virus-detection authors:  it would be nice if your programs ignored the
nVIR 10 foil, since ALL KNOWN VERSIONS of nVIR use this ploy to make files
immune.  This would solve a lot of problems (it still makes me nervous every
time I run intereferon on my hard drive and get and infected warning).

I am not trying to confuse the issue -- I am trying to provide as much
information as I possibly can.  KillVirus is a nice program -- don't con-
demn the author for using the resources that are there.


I am the researcher and author of the complete guide to viruses, which is
coming out soon (I hope).


-Laura Lemay

ll12+@andrew.cmu.edu