Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!drls21.mit.EDU!cacroft
From: cacroft@drls21.mit.EDU (C. A. Croft[Cheryl])
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Contributed software
Message-ID: <8809272206.AA10295@drls21.sun.com>
Date: 27 Sep 88 22:06:07 GMT
Sender: daemon@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 25

Can someone help me with the following issue?

One of the managers at my lab recently discovered PC viruses.  As a result,
we now have somewhat stricter guidelines about acquiring any software.  Alas,
someone noticed that my ftp'ing of contributed software from expo fit
into the forbidden software acquisition category.  Of course, I would hate
to give up access to the contributed software, so here are my questions:

  1)  Is there some obvious reason why particularly nasty behaviour could
      not possibly be exported/imported via source code (other than the
      fact that the perpetrator of same would be lynched by this newsgroup)?

  2)  Can I assure my management that the contributed software on the official
      release tapes is virus-free?

  3)  Failing the first two options, are there certain keywords (or something)
      that one could search for in contributed code which would indicate ill
      intentions somewhat faster than studying each line of code?

My apologies if all of this has been discussed before or belongs in another
newsgroup (if so, perhaps someone could direct me to it).


			Cheryl Croft
			...!convex!drlc1!cacroft