malpass@ll-sst.ARPA (Don Malpass) (08/21/85)
Today's Wall St. Journal contained the following article. I think it is of enough potential significance that I'll enter the whole thing. In addition to the conclusions it states, it implies something about good backup procedure discipline. In the hope this may save someone, Don Malpass ****************************************** (8/15/85 Wall St. Journal) ARF! ARF! Richard Streeter's bytes got bitten by an "Arf Arf," which isn't a dog but a horse. Mr. Streeter, director of development in the engineering department of CBS Inc. and home-computer buff, was browsing recently through the offerings of Family Ledger, a computer bulletin board that can be used by anybody with a computer and a telephone to swap advice, games or programs - or to make mischief. Mr. Streeter loaded into his computer a program that was billed as enhancing his IBM program's graphics; instead it instantly wiped out the 900 accounting, word processing and game programs he had stored in his computer over the years. All that was left was a taunt glowing back at him from the screen: "Arf! Arf! Got You!" "HACKERS" STRIKE AGAIN This latest form of computer vandalism - dubbed for obvious reasons a Trojan Horse - is the work of the same kind of anonymous "hackers" who get their kicks stealing sensitive data from government computers or invading school computers to change grades. But instead of stealing, Trojan Horses just destroy all the data files in the computer. Trojan Horse creators are nearly impossible to catch - they usually provide phony names and addresses with their programs - and the malevolent programs often slip by bulletin-board operators. But they are becoming a real nuisance. Several variations of the "Arf! Arf!" program have made the rounds, including one that poses as a "super-directory" that conveniently places computer files in alphabetical order. Operators have begun to take names and addresses of electronic bulletin-board users so they can check their authenticity. When a computer vandal is uncovered, the word is passed to other operators. Special testing programs also allow them to study the wording of submitted programs and detect suspicious commands. INTERFACER BEWARE But while Al Stone, the computer consultant who runs Long Island based Family Ledger, has such a testing program, he says he didn't have time to screen the "Arf! Arf!" that bit Mr. Streeter. "Don't attempt to run something unless you know its pedigree," he says. That's good advice, because the computer pranksters are getting more clever - and nastier. They are now creating even-more-insidious programs that gradually eat away existing files as they are used. Appropriately enough, these new programs are known as "worms". (8/15/85 Wall St. Journal) ******************************************
rlk@chinet.UUCP (Richard L. Klappal) (08/24/85)
Makes me kinda glad the Fortune system is not terribly popular, so if I don't buy something from FSC, its got to be source code. rlk