Date: Mon, 7 Apr 1997 04:19:09 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Mike A. Harris" <mharris AT blackwidow DOT saultc DOT on DOT ca>
Reply-To: "Mike A. Harris" <mharris AT blackwidow DOT saultc DOT on DOT ca>
To: Chris Hills <chris AT phaedsys DOT demon DOT co DOT uk>
cc: OpenDOS discussion list <opendos AT delorie DOT com>
Subject: Re: antivirus measures
In-Reply-To: <ezy9GCAqz7RzEwtU@phaedsys.demon.co.uk>
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.3.95.970407041150.1353v-100000@capslock.com>
Organization: Total disorganization.
MIME-Version: 1.0
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On Sun, 6 Apr 1997, Chris Hills wrote:

> In message <199704061411 DOT AA13224 AT mail DOT crl DOT com>, Weiqi Gao
> <weiqigao AT crl DOT com> writes
> >JP Morris <b52g AT usa DOT net> wrote:
> >
> >>>On Fri, 21 Mar 1997, yeep wrote:
> >
> >>>>And aren't there any Linux viruses?
> >
> >>>Of course there aren't.  Viruses don't survive in UNIX systems
> >>[...]
> The Internet worm is a virus and at the time most of the 'net was
> Unix...
> 
> A virus can work on Unix as well as DOS, Windows, OS2 etc etc. It is
> easier for a virus to survive in a large Unix system than single user
> systems. this is because you know when your machine slows down but in a
> multi users system you can never be sure if the prro perfirnance etc is
> not due to somthing else on the system. 
> 
> It does depend on what you define as a virus. I have a friend (just the
> one :-) who assures me that Windows95 is a virus in it'self!

I'm not saying that *writing* a virus in UNIX is impossible, but
rather that it is a waste of time because it would not survive
long.  It would be difficult because it would need to play on a
security hole in the system, or be ran as root.  This combination
of circumstance is highly unlikely in most UNIX systems.  YES
there HAVE been viruses in UNIX but they are FEW and FAR BETWEEN.
Linux is no different.  If one doesn't run precompiled binaries,
then one is very unsusceptible to viruses.  Also, don't run
programs logged in as root and you're pretty safe.  The life of a
Unix virus writer would be:

1) Boring, and uneventful with little success.
2) Boring, and uneventful behind bars for destroying a lot of
   UNIX systems due to security holes.

Trojan horses would be more likely than viruses, but would also
be found quickly and squashed.


Mike A. Harris        |             http://blackwidow.saultc.on.ca/~mharris
Computer Consultant   |                  Coming soon: dynamic-IP-freedom...
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