spaf@cs.purdue.edu (Gene Spafford) (08/23/90)
I just received a copy of the book "Rogue Programs: Viruses, Worms,
and Trojan Horses," edited by Lance J. Hoffman. The book is published
by Van Nostrand Reinhold, copyright 1990, ISBN 0-442-00454-0. The
publisher's suggested list price is $32.95, in softcover.
This book is a collection of 27 articles and book excerpts about
"vandalware" on computer systems. Contributors include Len Adleman,
Anne Branscomb, David Chess, Fred Cohen, George Davida, David
Ferbrache, Michael Gemignani, Harold Joseph Highland, me (!), Ken
Thompson, Steve White, and many others. The table of contents lists
the following parts: Overview of Rogue Programs, Social and Legal
Issues and Effects, Rogue Programs and Personal Computers, Rogue
Programs and Networks, and Emerging Theory of Computer Viruses.
Perhaps I'm somewhat biased because I'm the author or co-author of 3
of the 27 contributions. However, I believe this is the most
comprehensive collection on the topic currently available. It
contains case studies, theoretical analyses, legal opinions, and
step-by-step technical information. The book is valuable as both a
technical reference and as a textbook around which a course can be
organized. I'm sure it is going to become one of the 2 or 3 standard
references in the field (the forthcoming book from ACM Press edited by
Peter Denning will probably be the other).
If you are interested in some of the issues involving viruses, worms
and vandalware, you really should get a copy of this book and check it
out.
- --
Gene Spafford
NSF/Purdue/U of Florida Software Engineering Research Center,
Dept. of Computer Sciences, Purdue University, W. Lafayette IN 47907-2004
Internet: spaf@cs.purdue.edu uucp: ...!{decwrl,gatech,ucbvax}!purdue!spaf