-=> Quoting Curtis Canning to Rick Collins <=-
-=> FidoMail to 1:163/215, please.-=<
rc> Read my lips: a secure operating system is what exists today to
rc> prevent virus infections. There is simply no _need_ for each
rc> program to offer it's own protection when the OS can do the
rc> whole job itself. 
CC> Na Na Na Read my lips: the argument was for the future not
CC> now, now the O/S is good method of making sure that viruses
CC> don't get on you machine, but what the topic is about is, if
CC> it is possible to vaxernate the files once and that is it for
CC> the files life period.
If you insist on _ignoring_ the fact that all the protection
necessary is available in a secure operating system, and that,
therefore, additional file-level protections are not necessary, then
there is simply no basis for rational discourse.
You wish to solve problems that are not problems.  That's your right.
cc> But doesn't it make life a whole lot better once you have
cc> vaccinated your programs you don't have to worry about them
cc> again? No more worrying about trying to upkeep your Antivirus
cc> programs, and no more money spent on Antivirus programs.
rc> There are _no_ AV programs that run on the operating systems I'm
rc> referring to, because there is _no_ chance of an infection
rc> occuring in the first place. 
CC> So what you are saying is that your computer will never
CC> get infected because you have a good Operating System.
That is correct.
CC> What do you call a basic knowledge of and ANSI?
CC> Viewing it and formating your hard drive?
RC> A basic knowledge of the ANSI command syntax is all you need to
RC> determine if a particular text file contains an ANSI bomb.
CC> What happens if you can't view the TEXT file, because it
CC> is in an .EXE file, lets say you know what the file is,
CC> but what you didn't realize is that the person has put some
CC> codes in it so it will format you hard drive, but you ran
CC> it normally unexpectedly, because I for one not going to
CC> try and work the compiled .EXE files to look for format
CC> codes.
If it's an EXE file it can format the drive without any reference to
ANSI or DOS.  You are creating scenarios that are unlikely because
they are unnecessary.  And, yes, a proper OS would prevent that
little piece of malware from doing any damage as well.
CC> When you run a program which was made with a proper
CC> programming language like ASM or PASCAL it formats
CC> your hard drive.
rc> That's a piece of malware. There is a defense. Don't run
rc> programs when you don't know the source. 
CC> In what way do you mean _source_?
The source of the software.  Where it came from and who wrote it.
rc> If it's a text file, then it's an ANSI bomb you're talking
rc> about. Who runs ANSI.SYS these days, anyway? No-one I know.
cc> Most BBS advertisement files are not text files, they are full
cc> working programs to advertise there bbs, like displaying
cc> GIF/ANSI pictures or scrolling text and music.
cc> So that is why it is very dangerous, because most
cc> people like to run those advertising files.
RC> I have better things to do with my time.
CC> In what way?  That was only one example, it might
CC> not be in bbs advertising, it could be in a microsoft
CC> internet software pack, which you downloaded it from
CC> a bbs, but the person replaces the installation file with
CC> a fully working version of a the same installation file
CC> which they made up, but it formats you hard drive instead.
It doesn't _matter_.  I don't run a version of ANSI.SYS which allows
keyboard re-mapping, hence an ANSI bomb won't work.  The ANSI drivers
in popular comm programs _don't_ support keyboard remapping, so ANSI
bombs aren't a problem with them, either.
TTFN. Rick.
Ottawa, ON 6 Mar 17:23 
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