[comp.virus] DataCrime Virus Worries

David.M..Chess.CHESS@YKTVMV.BITNET (09/13/89)

I think the reason that people are writing/talking so much about the
DataCrime viruses, despite the fact that they seem to be much rarer
than say the Jerusalem, is simply that they're so much more
*destructive*.  If we're just counting infections, one JV infection
equals one DataCrime infection.  But if we're counting the actual
destruction wreaked, a Jerusalem infection is comparatively mild (some
EXE and COM files to be restored/recovered), compared to a worst-case
DataCrime activation (large numbers of hard disks with cylinder 0
gone, and all the data unreachable).  I suspect that's the basis for
the apparently disproportionate worry; I'm not saying it's necessarily
- -warranted-, just suggesting an explanation...  DC