Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!polyslo!vlsi3b15!vax1.cc.lehigh.edu!sei.cmu.edu!krvw From: chinet!ignatz@att.att.com Newsgroups: comp.virus Subject: Re: Software company distributing viruses (PC) Message-ID: <0012.8909271119.AA09775@ge.sei.cmu.edu> Date: 26 Sep 89 21:43:51 GMT Sender: Virus Discussion ListLines: 29 Approved: krvw@sei.cmu.edu In article <0007.8909251241.AA29279@ge.sei.cmu.edu> bnr-di!borynec@watmath.waterloo.edu (James Borynec) writes: >Software companies may be the largest source of virus contamination >around. After all, they send disks everywhere and no one worries >about 'shrink wrap' software being 'unclean'. I have only been hit by >two viruses - both came from software companies - one of which was >Texas Instruments. The guy in the office next door was hit by a copy >of a virus on his (shrink wrap) copy of WordPerfect. I think it is >shocking that people are told just to watch out for viruses when >engaged in software 'swapping'. Everyone should regard EVERY disk >that enters their machine with suspicion. It's probably been mentioned before, but it can't hurt to repeat. Some software houses--especially discount stores--have a very liberal return policy. Unfortunately, it seems that shrinkwrap equipment is neither very expensive nor difficult to obtain, and some stores will accept such returned software, repackage and re-shrinkwrap it, and return it to the store shelf. Thus, you really can't be certain that the sealed shrink-wrap you bought *hasn't* been tampered with at some point along the line. It really is starting to look like either there will have to be tamper-proof shrinkwrap (as resulted from the Tylenol disaster in the OTC consumer market), or a general practice of scanning *any* purchased software for contamination... Dave Ihnat ignatz@homebru.chi.il.us (preferred return address) ignatz@chinet.chi.il.us