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 AA04531; Wed, 20 Jun 90 17:27:27 -0400 Received: from SEI.CMU.EDU by g.sei.cmu.edu (5.61/2.5) id AA07125; Wed, 20 Jun 90 17:27:27 -0400 Received: from nsfnet-relay.ac.uk by sei.cmu.edu (5.61/2.3) id AA23408; Wed, 20 Jun 90 17:27:21 -0400 Received: from sun.nsfnet-relay.ac.uk by vax.NSFnet-Relay.AC.UK via Janet with NIFTP id aa23279; 20 Jun 90 16:22 BST From: Anthony Appleyard To: DAVIDF@cs.heriot-watt.ac.uk Date: Wed, 20 Jun 90 16:33:40 BST Message-Id: <$TGWGCZNQBTRC at UMPA> Subject: Virus-L vol 0 issue #1023 Virus-L Digest Sun, 23 Oct 88, Volume 0 : Issue #1023 Today's Topics virus Virus Conference The Virus Conference - thank you The Book / Effects of the Conference ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Oct 88 13:07:17 EDT From: Jean Coppola Subject: virus Well we have a little more on the Norton virus. It eats command.com and the system files, as well as destroying both Fat tables and all know backups like Mace utilties and Disk optimizer produce. This is a little more vicious than most because a FULL format of the hard disk is required after being attacked. By full I mean both low level and dos formats must be done. Otherwise the little bugger is still on the disk (boy did we find out the hard way) and will reattack you at a later date. -------------------- Date: Sun, 23 Oct 88 18:00:15 EDT From: "David A. Bader" Subject: Virus Conference I would like to thank the eight out-of-town individuals who I met at the virus conference this weekend in the Lehigh Valley, Pa. I can't say that I learned anything that I didn't read on virus-l, but being able to discuss these topics in a little greater depth and on a closer basis was very informative. I handed out disks to most of the participants with a collection of public domain anti-viral/trojan packages and would appreciate any comments and evaluations of these products sent to me. (Especially on FluShot Plus 1.4; it seems as though no one will try this package, even though it has most of the bugs worked out from the older versions.) Thanks a lot, David Bader DAB3@LEHIGH ZDABADE@VAX1.CC.LEHIGH.EDU P.S. To the Calgary Contingency: When Chris and I make our ways out there... we'll be sure to call. -------------------- Date: Sun, 23 Oct 88 23:15:20 EDT From: Loren K Keim -- Lehigh University Subject: The Virus Conference - thank you Actually David, I'm intrigued by your comments: You mentioned something about all that we discussed were old virus-l topics, and I don't believe that's ctrue. Since you weren't present for quite a bit of the conference, you may have missed some of the things we discussed, but we did go over organizations tracking viruses, integrity systems including the Bell-Lapadula, Limited Transistivity, Complexity Based Integrity and Separation (I think we have baredly touched on these on the list), and we did talk about Wroms in greater detail than on the list. We ended up having a total of 14 people show up for the conference (although several people were there only half the ftime). I had gotten worried early on that the conference might have problems, we had two people call and cancel at the last minute, two that said they were coming never showed (JD Where are you?), and two groups that said they'd send representatives didn't. We had the additional progblem that the printer company I usd to print and bind the books seems to have broken their tape binding machine and we had to give out the book in loose form in folders. However, as one person stated "Its easier to talk, discuss subjects and get points across in smaller groups", and I think it went quite well. We had an excellent group of people with a greatly varied knowledge of the subject viruses I do want to say thanks to everyone who came! It was really appreciated, and I hope you all took something out of the conference. The conference ended up being more informal than formal and I believe that worked quite well with this group of people. It's always interesting to meet people who you have been discussing subjects with for some months without meeting them face to face. Thanks go to Chris Haller of Cornell who corrected many of my spelling atrocities (that word isn't even close is it?) Also, Steve Okay from the Source took notes on his laptop throughout the 3 days and apparently will be making the notes available in the future. Because it was lengthy, I believe it will take him some time to confvert his notes to something readable. (Please excusse my typing, I seem to be missing the backspace key) Thanks to all who made this conference psossible! Loren Keim -------------------- Date: Sun, 23 Oct 88 23:41:43 EDT From: Loren K Keim -- Lehigh University Subject: The Book / Effects of the Conference Reading through my notes and letters to me, several people have asked if I think we'll see any effects of the conference. I'd like to forward this statement through the list to everyone who did come and ask them if they think it helped them. For me, I got a number of ideas and quite a bit of help on correcting mahny of the ideas I had previously. Joe Sieczkowski gave us some unique ideas on Unix protection schemes, which I greatly enjoyed and we may see something come of that over the next year. I believe the group helped him to look at different aspects of what he wanted to do . Hopefully we've also given people that little bit of information that they might need to help prevent viruses in the future. I believe there were a few good points about network security, and we may see more security at some colleges through networks due to some of our discussions. I really felt it was much easier to disucss the problems in group than to write them in short letters over the net. As for the book, we've gotten numerous requests for it. We have located another printer and gotten some prcice quotes today for anyoje interested. I want to point out that the price I am setting the book / notes at is about 5 prercent higher than MY cost. I'm doing that to cover the expense of the conference (I ran into the hole on it slightly), and to make sure I am covered, as I always seem to underestimate the costs. I'm pointing aout that I'm not making money off this for the simple reason that we can't advaertize over bitnet and I've already had one woarning that I may not do so. The book is broken down into a few sections: - Introduction to Computer Viruses (Definitions, Detection methods) - Background and Experiments (From Von Neumann through Kraus through Cohen, including Computer VWorms, Core Wars and so on) - Major Viruses and Resultant Detection Schemes (Mainframe and Micro viruses including the source code to the Christma Exec which now should be powerless and has been published elsewhere, and a look at 2 versions of the Brain, Lehigh, Aldus and the Israeli) - Early Defense Methods (Partition Models and Flow Models) - Practical Defense Methods (Complexity Based Integrity and other ideas) - The Future (Secure Systems in danger, dangers viruses pose) and 4 appendices : - Term Glossary - List of Known Viruses - Viruses in the Classroom - Virus Law I will also include a paper that Pam Kane sent me. (Those of you who have already gotten thr packet, as I said, I am going to enhance the "Future " Section, and include the 3 missing appendices in the mail this week) The known viruses section is a bit sketchy in that it doesn't include quite a few viruses in existance. I would like to see a break down or flow chart of how each virus works from a reputable source before I s include it, so anyone who has worked with one recently, please send me what you can to LKK0 at LEHIGH. I do inlcude a number of viruses howevera and their breakdowns). Prices: The Book - Tape Bound / Soft Back / Printing on Right page only... 18.50 The Book - Tape Bound / Soft Back / Printing on Left page only (some requested this bcause it's easier to take notes on the right)... 22.50 (The publisher has to actually physically turn half of it around and wants more to do that) The Book - Spiral Bound / Soft Back / Printed on Right... 20.00 The Book - Spiral Bound / Soft Back / Printed on Left... 22.50 The Book - Hard Bound / Hard Spine / Printed on Right... 45.00 The Book - Hard Bound / Hard Spine / Printed on both sides... 48.00 The Book - Spiral Bound / Printed on both sides... 22.50 The Book - Tape Bound / Soft Back / Printed on both sides ... 21.00 For anyone who wants a copy oin the US... please send 4.50 to cover P&S... I will return the unused portion if any. In Canada or Germany (or anywher for that matter, I just happen to have people in both who want copies) I don't have a n exact quote yet on mailing costs so hold off a little while. Send it to : Loren K Keim, P.O. Box 2423, Lehigh Valley, Pa 18001 Incidently, when I talk about defense methods in the book, I just describe them, I don't prove them matehematially, although I've been asked at times to do so. I will be trying to put together a book later this year (with much better editing) which will be about defense methods, including some ideas I've had and several that have been send to me (with full report going to the author of each) and will be shoing the math. I ll try to pubisdh that if I can. If you have any questiosn, don't hesitate to write:... Loren Keim -------------------- *** end of Virus-L issue ***