jra@jc3b21.UUCP (Jay R. Ashworth) (03/29/88)
From article <4123@chinet.UUCP>, by dag@chinet.UUCP (Daniel A. Glasser): } In article <622@sun.soe.clarkson.edu> nelson@sun.soe.clarkson.edu.UUCP (Russ Nelson) writes: } +In article <4811@ecsvax.UUCP> kotlas@ecsvax.UUCP (Carolyn M. Kotlas) writes: } ++In article <500@xios.XIOS.UUCP>, dont@xios.XIOS.UUCP (Don Taylor) writes:> } +++ [I did ] a 'strings' on MS Word (version 2 I think) and I saw a chilling } +++ message that said something to the effect: 'the fruits of evil are bitter, } +++ wiping your hard disk now...'. } ++This isn't the only instance of little messages being sprinkled in [ lots of neato stuff deleted here to save bits... ] } The most virus-like thing I've ever heard of acutally built into a } 'commercial' software release is the login/cc hack in which cc would } recognize that it was compiling login and include code that would } allow the author to log in (as root, I believe) on the system without } the root password, and would recognize that it was compiling a new } version of cc, and insert the code to recognize itself and login, so } the sources to cc and login did not contain the security holes, just } the binaries. This was done, so the story goes, as a demonstration } by the author of the hack (was it dmr, kt or bk?) of how easy it was It was Ken. } to get around the security in UNIX, and not intended to be distributed, } but a few unix tapes were shipped with compilers infected with the } virus. The entire story may be apocriphal, but I heard it from a } good source. So did I. Hugh Downs, to be exact. Yes, that Hugh Downs. On the ABC Radio Network program "Perspective", where, incidentally, he described UNIX as an "industry-standard" operating system. (Hence the cross-post.) } -- } Daniel A. Glasser dag@chinet.UUCP -- Jay R. Ashworth ---+-- Suncoast Television Productions--+ ...!uunet!codas! 10974 111th St. N. | producers of Suncoast Magazine | !usfvax2!jc3b21!jra Seminole FL 34648 +------------------------------------------------+--------- (813) 397-1859 ----+-- Premiering on Vision Cable Ch. 24 in May ----+ :-) !$