-=> Quoting Curtis Canning to Rick Collins <=-
-=> FidoMail to 1:163/215, please.-=<
rc> There is no need to make programs "virus proof" when this can be
rc> accomplished by proper design of the operating system, and a
rc> conscientious applied security policy. As long as the OS allows
rc> access to low-level structures _no_ program can be "protected"
rc> as you are suggesting. 
CC> You are going to look back in 20 years time, when they
CC> have invented a virus proof file and then think of what
CC> I have typed about files not getting infected, and then
CC> you will realize that nothing is impossible :)
No, I'm not.  If you want to keep your beer cold, do you buy a
separate cooler for each bottle of beer, or do you put _all_ the beer
in _one_ cooler?
An O/S which is properly written can prevent a virus infection - and
there are several operating systems _now_ that do just that.  The
programs don't have to be made "virus proof" because they are
protected by the OS.
CC> Then people would have to resort to programming bombs, instead
CC> of viruses.
RC> They don't _have_ to resort to anything.
CC> They are undetectible aren't they?
RC> No, they're not.  But you'll have to define the term.
CC> Program Bomb or a Batch bomb, are very hard to find,
CC> how many scanners do you know which will check you
CC> computer for bombs, I know of one, the ANSICHEK
CC> series! Version 9.0, it finds hidden ANSI codes which
CC> COULD redefine your keyboard to format your hard drive,
CC> But is only for ANSI.
You know another type of ANSI bomb?  BTW, you don't need _anything_
special to detect an ANSI bomb - just a basic knowledge of ANSI
itself should provide enough clues.
As for a "program bomb" - define what you mean by the term.
CC> And also how many people bother scanning for bombs,
CC> you can really get someone of there guard, especialy
CC> if you disguised a bomb in a BBS advertisement file.
If it's a text file, then it's an ANSI bomb you're talking about. 
Who runs ANSI.SYS these days, anyway?  No-one I know.
TTFN. Rick.
Ottawa, ON 17 Feb 20:12 
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