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- VIRUS-L Digest Thursday, 17 Nov 1988 Volume 1 : Issue 12
-
- Today's Topics:
- Re: [STMONTG@PUCC: Ye Compleat Vyrusse]
- Domesticating "evil" hackers.
- Re: Military Systems
- Re: FluShot+ versions
-
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Date: Wed, 16 Nov 88 11:00:17 EST
- From: Joe McMahon <XRJDM%SCFVM.BITNET@IBM1.CC.Lehigh.Edu>
- Subject: Re: [STMONTG@PUCC: Ye Compleat Vyrusse]
-
- >From: Sean T Montgomery <STMONTG@PUCC>
- >Subject: Ye Compleat Vyrusse
-
- >I'm only a recent subscriber, so please bear with me if this has been
- >discussed into the ground. I would be interested in receiving as
- >complete a list as possible of microcomputer (preferably Macintosh)
- >"anti-viral" programs, and/or a list of servers or persons who have
- >these programs available thru E-mail. I would like to have a copy for
- >my own sake, and also for sending to people who show up on one net or
- >another saying "Help!!! I've got a virus!!! What do I do!!!" Case in
- >point: nVIR can be removed a number of ways, some simpler than others
- >(the KillVirus INIT seems to beat everything else). I'd like to find
- >out what other virus killers/protectors are best for other situations.
-
- Sean, I've compiled such a list as a HyperCard stack. I have been
- planning to convert it into an article for Computers and Security,
- but...
-
- Anyway, the stack lists all of the software which I've been able to
- get hold of for evaluation. It does NOT include KillVirus, because I
- haven't been able to get a copy so far. It does, however, give a short
- review of each program (along with a longer one, if you want it) and a
- description of the viruses I've been able to confirm so far. It
- includes hand-removal instructions for each of the viruses, along with
- my recommendations based on the software I've seen.
-
- The software itself is available from LISTSERV at SCFVM. You may
- either order the whole package, or selected pieces. TELL LISTSERV AT
- SCFVM INDEX PUBLIC for a list of files.
-
- Please, if you can, send me KillVirus so I can add it to my stack and
- to our server. I've just gotten the latest release of ResEdit and will
- probably be adding it to the distribution later this week. If you can
- get me KillVirus, I'll put it into the same distribution.
-
- - --- Joe M.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Wed, 16 Nov 88 19:06 EST
- From: Robert Stratton <RSTRATTO%NAS.BITNET@IBM1.CC.Lehigh.Edu>
- Subject: Domesticating "evil" hackers.
-
- Hello all,
-
- Just my two cents, and as I like the (normally) non-flaming
- nature of this list, I'll try to keep it brief.
-
- SET /FLAME=ON [Ed. I'd hesitate to calling this a flame;
- rather, it's a heated discussion... Flames,
- of course, are strongly discouraged on
- VIRUS-L. Anyone feeling the uncontrollable
- urge to flame should send his/her flame to
- the author of the culprit message, please.]
-
- One major point that I rarely hear discussion on
- regards the fact that many of these "nether" hackers are
- simply champing at the bit for an opportunity to do *any*
- sort of productive work in the industry. Now this is by no
- means all of them, but I have seen several people who were
- just starting to turn toward possibly destructive hacking
- endeavors who made radical changes in behavior and attitude
- when given a chance to participate in a professional
- capacity.
-
- I think it is unwise to automatically assume that if we
- were to (God forbid) offer employment to all of these people
- our "destructive hacker" problems would be solved. On the
- contrary, many statistics indicate that the majority of
- computer fraud incidents are currently and have always been
- perpetrated from within organizations. My point is simply
- that it is also unwise to ignore the fact that some of these
- urchins (age notwithstanding) are highly motivated
- individuals who merely need a professionally creative
- outlet. Let's face it, there are a significant number of
- people in D.P. or C.S. who have no real love for it, and
- have fallen into the "money/marketability" trap as
- originally defined the medical and legal professions. (No
- offense intended.)
-
- In my experience, it is also a risk, although of
- another sort, to employ people with zero enthusiasm for the
- work they are doing. I place a great value on enthusiasm,
- because people with enthusiasm and some discipline can and
- will learn whatever else they need to, be it standards or
- practices. (Yes, "ethics" fit in there somewhere.)
-
- SET /FLAME=OFF
-
- Probably the most dangerous aspects of the RTM situation
- are the attempted (?) suppression of information by federal
- authorities as well as the media hype/public paranoia that
- have been generated. I remember well the panic/fascination
- in the public after the _War Games_ "phase". As if we don't
- have enough difficulty creating trust in our "users"
- already!!!
-
- I would welcome mail discussing this, if the list
- begins to diverge much farther from its primary purpose, and
- people still want to talk about it.
-
- Bob Stratton
- Info. Systems Consultant
- Stratton Systems Design
- <RSTRATTO@NAS.BITNET>
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 16 Nov 88 19:55:00 EST
- From: Michael Brown <Michael_Brown@CMR001.BITNET>
- Subject: Re: Military Systems
-
-
- Most military applications are standalone products that have
- no interaction with the rest of the world, so the possibility
- of the system being affected by a virus is minimal.
-
- The systems that the military use are not perfect, but they
- have to be pretty close before they become operational.
- As was mentioned, drills and simulations are used extensively
- to test the reliability of the software/hardware.
-
- Quick example. When they first came out with the F-16
- they discovered a bug in one of the simulators, the plane
- inverted when it flew over the equator. When they compared
- the code, the same bug was found in the actually planes.
- The same bug was found and corrected in the real planes.
-
- CP6-Mail: Michael Brown @CMR
- NET-Mail: <brownm@cmr001.bitnet>
- Michael Brown Snail-Mail: Service Informatique CMR, St-Jean, Que. J0J 1R0
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Wed, 16 Nov 88 10:09:06 SET
- From: "Christian J. Reichetzeder" <REICHETZ@AWIIMC11>
- Subject: Re: FluShot+ versions
-
- How about making the latest (or only recommended) version available on
- the VIRUS-L FILELIST ?
- Christian
-
- [Ed. That's the plan - as soon as I can get around to doing it.
- Placing files on a LISTSERV filelist is no simple task (oh, I wish
- everyone could anonymous FTP...); there's not enough space to place
- sufficient comments about the file(s), and the commands to actually
- put a file up are somewhat, er, cryptic. Removing an existing file on
- a filelist is worse. Also, it's been reported that some people are
- having problems uudecoding the files on our LISTSERV - apparently the
- EBCDIC (sp?) character set doesn't include all the ASCII characters
- that are used in UUENCODED format files. If that's the case, then
- that's yet another problem to deal with. Comments/suggestions are
- welcomed.]
-
- ------------------------------
-
- End of VIRUS-L Digest
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