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1995-01-05
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=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 22 Aug 1994 10:42:37 -0600
Sender: Small Computing Systems Software Issues Discussion List
<SOFTREVU@BROWNVM.brown.edu>
From:
"Rob Slade, Ed. DECrypt & ComNet, VARUG rep, 604-984-4067"
<ROBERTS@DECUS.CA>
Subject: "The PC Virus Control Handbook" by Jacobson
BKPCVRCH.RVW 940602
Miller Freeman Publications, Inc.
500 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
"The PC Virus Control Handbook", Jacobson, 1990, 0-87930-194-5, U$24.95
As well as being dated, this is a very uneven book. Significant portions are
concerned primarily with promoting certain products; others seem to have been
added quickly in order to round out the text. Still, it does have some good
points, even today.
Chapter one is a purported overview of virus technology. Starting with a
definition that includes only file infecting viral programs, it then launches
into a very lengthy, and very technical, discussion of the boot process, boot
sector and partition boot record. There are indications that the material for
this second edition wasn't edited very carefully when it was updated from the
first. An example is the promise to define four types of viral programs--
followed by outlines of *five* types. Chapter two is basically a listing of
viral programs, but the identification checklists, based upon symptom, may be
helpful. Again, there are indications that International Security Technologies
(IST) was primarily concerned with file infectors and added the boot sector
material as an afterthought. (Having denigrated virus naming conventions in
favour of the IST numbering scheme earlier in the book, the boot sector virus
IDs seem to be listed in a remarkably "alphabetical" order.)
Chapter three is probably the best part of the book. This is a step-by-step
guide for investigating and disinfecting a suspected virus infection. It
relies very heavily on the Virus-Pro and McAfee programs, but, if you can
understand the generic types of these specific programs, the guide is very
detailed and useful. It is, however, amusing to note that the book makes much
of "stealth" viral technology, but fails to use the "self-cleaning" feature of
such programs.
Chapter four is a sample policy and procedures document. Unfortunately,
without additional discussion and background, readers may not be able to make
the necessary modifications to fit their own situation. A closing bibliography
is sadly out of date (and heavily biased).
While the price may seem a bit high, for the sake of one chapter, the detailed
disinfection procedure in chapter three may be worth it. Certainly, those with
a major responsibility for corporate protection may wish to use it in building
their own guides.