Xref: utzoo comp.sys.atari.st:14346 comp.sys.apple:10468 comp.sys.mac:27559 comp.sys.ibm.pc:25439
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!ames!mailrus!cornell!biar!trebor
From: trebor@biar.UUCP (Robert J Woodhead)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st,comp.sys.apple,comp.sys.mac,comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Right of reply, virus- public, private- a thin line
Message-ID: <173@biar.UUCP>
Date: 1 Mar 89 06:30:23 GMT
References: <14940@cup.portal.com> <817@sering.cwi.nl> <3945@ttidca.TTI.COM> <20974@agate.BERKELEY.EDU>
Reply-To: trebor@biar.UUCP (Robert J Woodhead)
Followup-To: comp.sys.atari.st
Organization: Biar Games, Inc.
Lines: 22

In article <20974@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> laba-2he@e260-1e.berkeley.edu (Oliver Juang) writes:
>
>What's the big deal about distributing the source code for vires?  Compute!
>publishes an entire book on the subject, with examples.  Furthermore anyone
>with a disassembler can disassemble a virus.
>
>Lawrence Y. Chiu; University of Berkeley, CA.

The problem is that with source code, any jerk with MPW who can type can
release a mutated version of the virus in an attempt to avoid the current
detection programs (futile, we will catch it in a few weeks, but a pain).

Whereas to disassemble and modify a virus without the source code takes a
fair amount of knowledge and skill.

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| Robert J Woodhead      !uunet!cornell!biar!trebor     CompuServe 72447,37 |
| Biar Games, Inc., 10 Spruce Lane, Ithaca NY 14850  607-257-1708,3864(fax) |
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| While U Wait.  Take a number.    I don't need no stinking disclaimers!!!" |
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