Return-Path: XPUM04@prime-a.central-services.umist.ac.uk Received: from G.SEI.CMU.EDU by ubu.cert.sei.cmu.edu (5.61/2.3) id AA21697; Thu, 7 Jun 90 17:15:37 -0400 Received: from SEI.CMU.EDU by g.sei.cmu.edu (5.61/2.5) id AA16163; Thu, 7 Jun 90 17:15:36 -0400 Received: from nsfnet-relay.ac.uk by sei.cmu.edu (5.61/2.3) id AA13817; Thu, 7 Jun 90 17:15:25 -0400 Received: from sun.nsfnet-relay.ac.uk by vax.NSFnet-Relay.AC.UK via Janet with NIFTP id aa00705; 7 Jun 90 21:15 BST From: Anthony Appleyard To: KRVW <@NSFnet-Relay.AC.UK:KRVW@sei.cmu.edu> Date: Tue, 05 Jun 90 14:05:44 BST Message-Id: <$TGVGDBVHCNZC at UMPA> Subject: Virus-L vol 0 issue #0617 Virus-L Digest Fri, 17 Jun 88, Volume 0 : Issue #0617 Today's Topics Re: Banishing the list Re: Banishing the list RE: reply to "Banish The List" possible conference topic ** no subject, date = Fri, 17 Jun 88 14:26:47 EST Cross-checking code RE: Cross-checking code RE: Cross-checking code ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Jun 88 03:12:43 EDT Reply-To: Virus Discussion List Sender: Virus Discussion List From: me! Jefferson Ogata Subject: Re: Banishing the list I strongly oppose the idea of banishing or censoring this list. I oppose the idea that information about viruses should be hidden from public view. How can we fight a problem we don't understand? The only folks who will get hurt by ignorance are those of us trying to keep our environments virus-free. Keeping viruses an open subject helps us to fight them. It MAY help the virus-writers as well, but there are probably at least 300 users for each virus-writer. Seems to me the help is way into the profit-margin. - Jeff -------------------- Date: Fri, 17 Jun 88 07:43:53 EDT Reply-To: Virus Discussion List Sender: Virus Discussion List From: "Kenneth R. van Wyk" Subject: Re: Banishing the list In-Reply-To: Message of Fri, 17 Jun 88 03:12:43 EDT from ENOUGH ALREADY! I'm the listowner, and the list is going to remain. Period. If you people want to discuss the pros and/or cons of having such a list, then don't do it here. Enough said (I can't overstress this)! Ken Kenneth R. van Wyk Calvin: When I take a bath, I always User Services Senior Consultant put my rubber ducky in the Lehigh University Computing Center water first. Internet: Hobbes: For companionship? BITNET: Calvin: No, to test for sharks! -------------------- Date: Fri, 17 Jun 88 07:46:00 CST Reply-To: Virus Discussion List Sender: Virus Discussion List From: DAVIDLI@SIMVAX Subject: RE: reply to "Banish The List" Steve Okay writes: >Granted, we do want to keep this out of the hands of 13-yr old pimple faces and >others who haven't the maturity to keep from writing these little beasties, May I remind readers of this list that most computer crimes are committed by computer professionals, NOT "13-year old pimple faces"? May I also point out that such computer-viruses as the XMAS EXEC and the Macintosh "Happy Birthday" were written by (supposedly) mature adults. Such characterizations only serve to promote a stereotype which, as far as I'm concerned, is as far from the truth of the matter as one can get. -- David Meile, systems manager Disclaimer: standard -- my words, my thoughts. Your mileage may vary. -------------------- Date: Fri, 17 Jun 88 08:28:00 CDT Reply-To: Virus Discussion List Sender: Virus Discussion List From: MADS@UNO Subject: possible conference topic Note: I originally sent this to virus-l@bitnic and discovered my error. I hope it was killed so that two messages do not appear. Conferees: The SIGUCCS (Special Interest Group - University Computing Centers and Services) will hold the annual computer center management conference in St Louis, March 15-17, 1989. One of the topics will be viruses, trojan horses, worms, etc., IF THE TOPIC SEEMS TIMELY AND WORTHWHILE. As assistant program chair for the conference, I am interested in your comments on 1) the topic; 2) possible panelists. This session is scheduled for Wednesday, March 15th at 3:00 - 5:00 at the conference site in the downtown Marriot. We do not normally provide honoraria or other reimbursements to speakers. We are hoping that you can provide us with some leads on speakers and/or organizations that are interested in this topic or have had bad experiences with viruses, etc. Send all mail directly to me (MADS@UNO) on BITNET. mads (MADS@UNO 504-286-6390) -------------------- Date: Fri, 17 Jun 88 14:26:47 EST Reply-To: Virus Discussion List Sender: Virus Discussion List From: "Neil Goldman (216) 861-5000" To: VIRUS-L at LEHIIBM1 Re: Wall Street Journal, 6/17/88 An interesting article. It describes (presumably) this list as "Techies around the country experiment with program codes and computer virology, exchanging an endless stream of messages daily about virus effects, vaccine strategies, and gossip." A fairly accurate, yet somewhat trivializing, description. I have a problem with some of the vendors. Digital Dispatch, for example, claims to have the National Computer Security Center, a branch of the NSA, as a customer. I spoke with someone I know at their Office of Research and Development this morning. She said they purchased a copy of DataPhysician for evaluation. We just did so too. I guess they will say we are a customer. We, of course, are a customer. But when your average PC owner reads that, he/she will view that as an endorsement on our part. It certainly is not. That's marketing for you. Neil Goldman NG44SPEL@MIAMIU.BITNET -------------------- Date: Fri, 17 Jun 88 16:22:31 EDT Reply-To: Virus Discussion List Sender: Virus Discussion List From: David.Slonosky@QueensU.CA Subject: Cross-checking code Would it be possible to design an environment in a different operating system to check viruses without the risk of having them infect a disk? For example, you want to check a diskette which is formatted for MS-DOS for the possible existence of a virus. Could you set up an AMIGA or a Macintosh to emulate MS-DOS and detect a suspected virus without the risk of having it contaminating your own system? This is a sketchy idea, true, but I thought I'd ask it anyway. -------------------- Date: Fri, 17 Jun 88 16:36:00 EDT Reply-To: Virus Discussion List Sender: Virus Discussion List From: "Jim Shaffer, Jr." Subject: RE: Cross-checking code I suppose anything is possible, but the amount of work required would be quite another subject. I've seen programs written in one version of DOS that could read files written in completely incompatible versions of DOS *on the same machine*. I've also seen an Atari ST emulating a Macintosh with near-perfection. Which brings me to a question: if you were to set up an emulator, how do you protect it against virus infection? My understanding of the Mac emulator on the Atari is that probably could be infected, though I've had no hands-on experience with the emulator or with viruses. -------------------- Date: Fri, 17 Jun 88 17:27:00 CST Reply-To: Virus Discussion List Sender: Virus Discussion List From: DAVIDLI@SIMVAX Subject: RE: Cross-checking code Jim Shaffer writes: > Which brings me to a question: if you were to set >up an emulator, how do you protect it against virus infection? My understanding >of the Mac emulator on the Atari is that probably could be infected, though >I've had no hands-on experience with the emulator or with viruses. For all intents and purposes, those computer-viruses which infect the Macintosh via the System (or other) files, and which don't directly affect hardware would have a similar affect when using the Magic Sac Plus emulator on the Atari ST. Because that emulator does not currently work with HyperCard though, there would be little chance of becoming infected with the "Happy Birthday" computer-virus which came, as I've been told, on one of the public domain HyperCard stacks. I have not, up to this time, encountered a computer-virus using the Magic Sac Plus -- but I haven't been using any of the newer public domain software with it either. Using the pc-ditto emulator on an Atari ST would, I think, make the disk drives more susceptible to some of the computer-viruses which have been found on IBM systems. (The Atari ST can read and write IBM 3.5" disks directly.) In any case, when using software on a machine, whether that machine is being "emulated" or not, the simple precautions against computer-viruses should still be taken. -------------------- *** end of Virus-L issue ***