Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!ames!amdcad!sun!pitstop!sundc!seismo!uunet!nbires!isis!csm9a!japplega From: japplega@csm9a.UUCP (Joe Applegate) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: Re: Software Package Inoculates Disks Against Computer Viruses Summary: Viruses - fact or Marketing Hype Keywords: Center for Computer Disease Control Message-ID: <737@csm9a.UUCP> Date: 6 Jun 88 23:08:58 GMT References: <2792@umd5.umd.edu> Organization: Colorado School of Mines Lines: 45 In article <2792@umd5.umd.edu>, cgs@umd5.umd.edu (Chris Sylvain) writes: > > Sophco has also initiated the Center for Computer Disease Control, > which will act as a clearing house for information about such antisocial soft- > ware. > A Local MSDOS Users Group hosted a panel discussion on Viruses and the methods to protect against them... SOPHCO and the so called Disease Control Center were asked to participate but declined... I for one publically doubt the existance of the virus they claim to have discovered since SEX.EXE can be found on several BBS's in a harmless, though tasteless form! When confronted on the phone their rep still refused to participate in our discussion or to produce this virus in order to confirm it was anything other than a marketing ploy. The panel consisted of several sysops, a security expert from Storage Tek, a computer crime lawyer and a law professor. Not one of these experts had ever found a bonified virus and only one could claim to have found a trojan! The general consensus was that while viruses might exist their occurance was far more rare than the media hype would indicate! It was also agreed that much of this hype is a result of advertizing from companies claiming to have a solution to viruses... it was even proposed that some of these viruses might originate with such companies. Now we all know that companies which produce and market programs to protect users against viruses and trojans are simply doing so for our benefit and not to serve the almighty green god so.... Everyone should do their part to support the noble effort of this Center for Computer Disease Control by placing a little black sticky "trojan" write protect tab on every disk and keeping their green gods in their wallet! Joe Applegate - Colorado School of Mines Computing Center {seismo, hplabs}!hao!isis!csm9a!japplega or SYSOP @ M.O.M. AI BBS - (303) 273-3989 - 300/1200/2400 8-N-1 24 hrs. *** UNIX is a philosophy, not an operating system *** *** BUT it is a registered trademark of AT&T, so get off my back ***