ZSYJKAA@WYOCDC1.BITNET (06/02/88)
----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Thought I'd relate a recent incident to the group regarding computer virus writing and propogation. Apparently we have a professor who thought it would be a good experience for his students, as a project, to write (each) a virus, and demonstrate that it works. OK, in my opinion we're already on shaky ground assuming the 20 or so different viruses can remain totally isolated within the student-instructor environment. As you can guess, some of them have "leaked" out of the "lab". One report indicates that the instructor's hard disk was erased, and another that one student's final project was eaten by his own virus. At least one unrelated PC was found to be infected (in the University's Micro Resource Center!). There are arguments going backand forth about whether this was blatantly irresponsible, or if viral education is a good thing. One can't even consider firing the instructor because he's already leaving to go to another institution. So, this might be a good topic to kick back and forth for a while? What are the ethics/legalities of such an incident? For instance, in American law & philosophy, freedom of information is nearly sacred; is propoagation of the knowlege on how to write a virus itself a bad thing, or only the malicious and/or negligent spreading of one and it's symptoms/damage? Is the passing of this knowlege to a "random" group of students (where the professor is probably unable to evaluate each one's future intentions or views of morality) an unethical, if not illegal, act? Disclaimer: The above are my views, not my employer; I have not had direct contact with the professor or his students.