...The InterNet Virus

The InterNet virus was the first example of a virus able to survive in two
different computer architectures--the DEC VAX and Sun Microsystem computers.

On November 2, 1988, at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, in the computer
laboratory of Cornell University, a would-be wizard gave life to a creation of
his own, a computer virus, and commanded it to commence its mission.  He
inserted his creation into a computer attached to the world's largest
research and development network and sat back in triumph.  His creation would
shortly take advantage of a flaw in the basic operating system of the host
computer and would use this flaw to begin its replication.  He was smug in his
knowledge that it would sneak quietly and unobtrusively past the computer's
safeguards and transfer itself to every system attached to the network.  He
thought this would happen transparently--that no one would ever discover that 
his creation existed.  His act was harmless, he thought.  None of the 
computers would be impaired by his creation, and the virus could exist 
indefinitely--a silent symbol of his prowess and wizardry.

However, the virus implanted by Robert Morris, Jr., had been programmed with
an internal flaw.  Instead of being the perfect creation of an omnipotent
entity, this virus was the product of a very bright, but still human, mind. 
Like virtually all programs from even the best of hackers, Morris's virus 
program contained an error in logic.  It was not a large error, as far as
programs go, merely a half dozen instructions that needed to be reworked.  Not
much considering the virus was more than 5,000 instructions long, and that the
rest were elegantly and powerfully formed.  Most experienced software engineers
would consider the error an insignificant oversight when compared to the scale
of the entire virus.

When the InterNet virus was released, it immediately went to work.  It was
programmed to replicate.  Since its creator had made a programming error it
was unable to identify an already infected host, however, it never knew when
to stop.  As computer after computer on the network became infected, they
attempted to infect already sick hosts, and the scale of activity rapidly
began to multiply.  If the infections had taken place at "human" speeds--
minutes, hours or days between infections--the results would have hardly been
noticeable.  As it was, however, the time increments between infections were
being measured in thousandths of a second.  The intense rush of activity, 
attempting, as it were, to happen almost simultaneously, was too much for the
systems infected, so they collapsed.

The InterNet virus had a number of intriguing devices, one of which 
demonstrated very clearly how useless are the majority of the passwords on 
which so many computer security people set such great store.

Imbedded within the InterNet virus was the following list of commonly used
passwords.  The passwords enabled the virus to open user files on infected
systems and find ou;the addresses for new hosts to infect.  It is a very
significant list of words; glance through it to see if you can discern why.

aaa..cornelius.guntis..noxious..simon
academia.couscous.hacker..nutrition.simple
aerobics.creation.hamlet..nyquist..singer
airplane.creosote.handily..oceanography.single
albany..cretin..happening.ocelot..smile
albatross.daemon..harmony..olivetti.smiles
albert..dancer..harold..olivia..smooch
alex..dave..help..oxford..spring
daniel..harvey..oracle..smother..alexander
danny..hebrides.orca..snatch..algebra
heinlein.orwell..snoopy..aliases..december
hello..osiris..soap..alphabet.defoe
outlaw..socrates.ama..deluge..herbert
sossina..amorphous.desperate.hiawatha.pacific
sparrows.analog..develop..hibernia.painless
spit..anchor..dieter..honey..pakistan
andromache.digital..horse..pam..springer
animals..discovery.horus..papers..squires
answer..disney..hutchins.password.strangle
anthropogenic.dog..imbroglio.patricia.stratford
anvils..drought..imperial.penguin..stuttgart
anything.duncan..include..peoria..subway
aria..einstein.judith..poster..tiger
eager ..ingres..percolate.success..ariadne
easier..inna..persimmon.summer..arrow
edges..innocuous.persona..super..arthur
edinburgh.irishman.pete..superstage.athena
edwin..isis..peter..support..atmoshpere
edwina..japan..philip..supported .aztecs
egghead..jessica..phoenix..surfer..azure.
eiderdown.jester..pierre..suzanne..bacchus
eileen..jixian..pizza..swearer..bailey.
johnny..plover..symmetry.banana..elephant
joseph..plymouth.tangerine.bananas..elizabeth
joshua..polynomial.tape..bandit..ellen.
pondering.target..banks..emerald..juggle
pork..tarragon.barber..engine..julia.
taylor..baritone.engineer.kathleen.praise
telephone.bass..enterprise.kermit..precious
temptation.bassoon..enzyme..kernel..prelude
thailand.batman..ersatz..kirkland.prince
beater..establish.knight..princeton.toggle
beauty..estate..ladle..protect..tomato
beethoven.euclid..lambda..protozoa.topography
beloved..evelyn..lamination.pumpkin..tortoise
benz..extension.larkin..puneet ..toyota
beowulf..fairway..larry..puppet..trails
berkeley.filicia..lazarus..rabbit..trivial
berliner.fender..lebesgue.rachmaninoff.tubas
trombone.beryl..fermat..lee..rainbow
beverly..fidelity.leland..raindrop.tuttle
bicameral.finite..leroy..raleigh..umesh
bob..float..louis..ripple..village
fishers..lewis ..random..unhappy..brenda
flakes..light..rascal..unicorn..brian
lisa..really..unknown..bridget..flower
rebecca..urchin..broadway.flowers..lynne
remote..utility..bumbling.foolproof.macintosh
rick ..vasant..burgess..football.mack
vertigo..campanile.foresight.maggot..robotics
vicky..cantor..format..magic..rochester
cardinal.forsythe.malcolm..rolex..virginia
carmen..fourier..mark..romano..warren
carolina.fred..markus..ronald..water
caroline.fungible.merlin..sal..
friend..marty..rosebud..weenie..cascades
frighten.marvin..rosemary.whatnot..castle
fun ..master..roses..whiting..cat
maurice..ruben..whitney..cayuga..gabriel
mellon..rules..will..celtics..gardner
ruth..william..cerulean.garfield.mets
williamsburg.change..gauss..michael..saxon
willie..charles..george..michelle.scamper
winston..charming.gertrude.mike ..scheme
wisconsin.charon..ginger..minimum..scott
wizard..chester..glacier..minsky..scotty
wombat..cigar..gnu..moguls..secret

Statistical analysis of password useage shows that over 90 percent of all
large computer systems have at least one user who has chosen one of the
above words as his or her password.  As a hacker needs only one password
to gain access into most systems, this list is the equivalent of a very
efficient skeleton key that opens many electronic "locks."

The InterNet virus hedged its bets in the rare event that one of these
words did not enable it to get into a system.  If at first frustrated,
it would access the dictionary file found in most Unix systems and then
try all the words in the dictionary.


"Computer Viruses, Worms, Data Diddlers, Killer Programs, and Other Threats
To Your System: What They Are, How They Work, And How To Defend your PC, Mac,
Or Mainframe."  McAfee, John and Colin Haynes. (C) 1989 by John McAfee and
Colin Haynes.  St. Martin's Press.  p. 60, 81, 88-91.
