leefi@microsoft.UUCP (Lee Fisher) (02/11/88)
Here's another message from Ross Greenberg, author of the FLUSHOT2 program (anti-virus COMMAND.COM TSR). I'm forewarding his message since he doesn't have usenet access. > From Ross Greenberg, 2/8/88: > > Why didn't I include source code in FLUSHOT[2]? > > Easy. I didn't want to make the ability to get around FLUSHOT all that > a simple matter. True, someone with a debugger can figure out exactly > what FLUSHOT does and can figure out how to get around it. But the > casual idiot (the one thinking of what a nifty virus or trojan would be) > isn't gonna take the extra time to create an eat-the-FAT program which > might already be protected against by FLUSHOT. Keep 'em guessing, make > 'em work for your disk! (BTW: Your FAT is pretty well protected!) > > Obviously, though, people are concerned about the FLUSHOT (or any other > program gotten through the net or from a BBS) program being safe all unto > itself. Sorry: I can only promise you that the version on my own BBS > is safe, as well as those from people like Keith Peterson (hi, keith!). > > What about bugs, like the one which seemed to have trashed at least one > hard disk out there? Well, they'll be fixed. FLUSHOT3 will be up soon, > and should be a bit easier to use, and give some better pointers as to > what is going on when it intercepts a call it 'feels' is a nasty one. > > Feel free to contact my board at (212)-889-6438 at 24/12/3, N,8,1 > to grab a fresh copy of FLUSHOT at anytime. If you find a bogus copy > running around: please let me know as soon as possible and advise > the sysop on whatever board you find it on! -Lee ________ 01001100 Lee Fisher, Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA. 01000101 {uw-beaver,decvax,decwrl,trsvax,sun,attunix,uunet}!microsof!leefi 01000101 leefi@microsof.uucp 01000110 leefi@microsof.beaver.washington.edu 01001001 disclaimer: My opinions are my own, not those of my employer.
mvolo@ecsvax.UUCP (Michael R. Volow) (02/11/88)
[stuff on anti-virus programs] With all the news on virus and anti-virus programs, I have not seen one posting about the possible sources of virus programs. I mean, one can imagine about some malcontent hacker[D[D[D[D[D[D[D[C[C[Ct, covertly aggressive programmer, complete with speculations about destructive impulses. But seriously, are there other possibilities. There must be some scuttlebutt in the programming community(ies). If these are skillfully written programs, then they are probably not the work of novices. Could some commercial software concern be covertly interested in discouraging shareware? Is geography (early reports from Leheigh, Pa.) be helpful in figuring this out? Or is the existance of such programs just an accepted part of the hacking scene, kind of an accepted "cold war" between legitimate and fringe programmers? Michael Volow, M.D. Dept of Psychiatry, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, N.C. 27705 919 286 0411 mvolo@ecsvax.UUCP
pcm@iwarpo3.intel.com (Phil C. Miller) (02/17/88)
In article <4594@ecsvax.UUCP> mvolo@ecsvax.UUCP (Michael R. Volow) writes: > > >Or is the existance of such programs [as virii] just an accepted part of the >hacking scene, kind of an accepted "cold war" between legitimate and >fringe programmers? Yeah, I think that there oughta be a law here. Unjustifiable Cybernetic Homicide (UCH). Anyone who comes up with such a program should bag computers, come out of the closet and join the Manson family. Dereference your anthropomorphic paranoid fantasies and at least confront your sick, loathsome delusions in some suitable boobyhatch. You're sick. >Michael Volow, M.D. >Dept of Psychiatry, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, N.C. 27705 >919 286 0411 mvolo@ecsvax.UUCP Oops, no offense! Phil Miller Irresponsible ravings have no external affilitions.