Peter_Urka@ub.cc.umich.edu (09/14/90)
I have recently been privately corresponding about a hypothetical
OS which is designed to have inherent anti-virus/worm/Trojan
capabilities. That is, a ground-up design in which security is
designed as an integral part of the OS (the OS would not run without
it) not as an add-on or a modular feature. This OS would not limit
the user of the computer, merely keep a watch on suspicous activity
(erasure of a disk by a program) and prevent it. Perhaps it would
have an authorization code for each executable, or merely prevent
certain steps to be performed in sequence. Anyway, the only thing
that it would keep the owner of the system from doing is tampering
with the OS itself, so it would not be some great dragon frustrating
the user at every move, or prevent customization.
What I wish to know is: Does anyone out there want such a OS?
Would any of you be inclined to try it? Is everyone satisfied with
installation of anti-viral programs? Please respond to the address
below if you are intrigued. I shall sum the answers at a later date
if there is a great interest.
Peter Urka@ub.cc.umich.edu