VIRUS-L Digest Monday, 12 Jun 1989 Volume 2 : Issue 134 Today's Topics: re: vendors releasing viruses Virus Disinfectors (PC) Naming confusion SOFTWARE COMPANIES WRITING NASTY S/W - (SUG.ARC) MS-Word-1.0 "crime doesn't pay" rumor??? Re: Notifications for Network Viruses Re: Information on the Brain virus (PC) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 9 Jun 89 02:08:48 pdt From: odawa@well.sf.ca.us (Michael Odawa) Subject: re: vendors releasing viruses As more bogus evidence that vendors would release viral code, Roman Olynyk cited an ominous warning that appeared in Microsoft Word for the Mac, version 1.00. This is bogus evidence for at least two reasons. First, the warning portended file destruction, but not viral release. Second, if I remember my facts correctly, that was a totally misleading and unauthorized warning written into the application by a junior programmer. No destructive code was in the program. When its presence became known to the company, I believe the employee was terminated. Again, let me reiterate. Software developers are as aggrieved by viral infections as anyone. We use more software than you do. It would be contrary to both our immediate and long-term interests to poison our own products. We're on the same side as you, folks. We want this stuff to work. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9-Jun-89 06:56:47 PDT From: portal!cup.portal.com!Alan_J_Roberts@Sun.COM Subject: Virus Disinfectors (PC) Rob Nauta and others have asked about specific disinfectors for IBM PC viruses. HomeBase maintains disinfectors for virtually all PC viruses. The MDISK programs remove any boot sector or partition table virus; there are disinfectors for 1701, 1704, Lehigh, Jerusalem-A, Jerusalem-B, Pakistani volume label restore and many others. The MDISK programs are part of the McAfee utilities and are shareware, many of the others are also shareware. If anyone is interested in these programs call HomeBase at 408 988 4004. Also, there is now a very good presentation graphics package on viruses that runs on any VGA system that has just been made public domain. It's great for talks, seminars, presentations etc. on viruses. Also available on HomeBase. Alan Roberts ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Jun 89 23:43 EDT From: "Barry L. Newton" Subject: Naming confusion Just as a thought, it shouldn't be too difficult to arrange something based on a date/time stamp placed upon any *new* virus mentioned on virus-l. This would naturally be based purely on the judgement, spare time and goodwill of the list moderator :-)...It could be as simple as a text file (document) listing virus-l reference name and known aliases (as they appear). If the aforementioned spare time (!) and good will stretch far enough, another useful add-on would be a cumulative list of virus-l references kept with each virus name entry. This is of course quite audacious to propose, but I think it would enhance the value of the list (and particularly the archives) considerably. It seems like a sufficiently worth-while effort that the member- ship might propose indexing the archives to their various employers as a project worthy of institutional support. (Money, labor, whatever.) I will. Barry L. Newton National Institute of Standards and Technology (Which is not responsible for my opinions, gaffes, or lapses in judgement) ------------------------------ Date: 10-JUN-1989 13:14:43 GMT From: UMECE80@VAXA.CC.IMPERIAL.AC.UK Subject: SOFTWARE COMPANIES WRITING NASTY S/W - (SUG.ARC) Does anybody know how and where I can get a copy of SUG.ARC trojan described by Bob Stratton in VIRUS-L 133 ? Costas K. Krallis | UMECE80@VAXA.CC.IC.AC.UK (Janet) | Imperial College | KRALLIS@GRATHUN1 (BITNET) | London U.K. ------------------------------ Date: 10 Jun 89 12:01:00 CDT From: "UTARLG::B645ZAX" Subject: MS-Word-1.0 "crime doesn't pay" rumor??? Roman Olynyk (cc011054@wvmvaxa.wvnet.edu) writes: >Also, in the subject of "Are software developers releasing viruses," I >can add Microsoft Word... we have version 1.0 of Word at our site (if >you can imagine that!). If you use a good disk editor and search for >the string "evil" you will find the text: "The tree of evil bears evil >fruit. Crime does not pay. Trashing program disk..." Can anyone verify/refute this? Has this been seen elsewhere (perhaps his copy is infected by an ordinary virus)? Can anyone at Microsoft make *objective* comments. How about anyone with an original, unaltered copy of MS-Word 1.0? Please examine the disk & report the location of the string, so others can find it. I hope this is just a rumor. - -David Richardson, The University of Texas at Arlington Bitnet: b645zax@utarlg Internet: b645zax@utarlg.arl.utexas.edu UUCP: ...!{ames,sun,texbell, }!utarlg.arl.utexas.edu!b645zax SPAN: ...::UTSPAN::UTADNX::UTARLG::B645ZAX PhoNet: +1 817 461 4799 Fido: 1:130/13 USMail: 1904 Silverleaf Drive, Arlington, TX 76013 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Jun 89 15:48:48 PDT From: zardoz!neil@uunet.UU.NET (Neil Gorsuch) Subject: Re: Notifications for Network Viruses In article <0001.8906072021.AA00932@ubu.CC.Lehigh.EDU> VIRUS-L@IBM1.CC.Lehigh.EDU writes: >I've recently completed a virus response procedure for our site, a >statewide educational telecomputing network. This procedure >establishes an emergency action plan that we hope would reduce the >impact of a computer virus at WVNET. The security mailing list has a procedure for emergency notification of viruses and other problems. I have appended membership directions. Neil Gorsuch neil@cpd.com uunet!zardoz!neil - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- UNIX SECURITY MAILING LIST The unix security mailing list exists for these reasons: 1. To notify system administrators and other appropriate people of serious security dangers BEFORE they become common knowledge. 2. Provide security enhancement information. Most unix security mailing list material has been explanations of, and fixes for, specific security "holes". I DO NOT believe in security through obscurity, but I certainly don't spread "cracking" methods to the world at large as soon as they become known. The unix security list is, in my opinion, an excellent compromise between the two ideas. It is not intended for the discussion of theoretical security techniques or "Should we thank Mr. Morris?" types of subjects, there is no need for secrecy regarding such matters, and appropriate usenet news groups already exist that serve those purposes. It is, however, appropriate to post security checkup programs and scripts, and specific security enhancement methods to this list in addition to the proper news groups. I assume that the readers of this list took a special effort to join, and would appreciate appropriate material being sent via email so that they don't have to sort through many news groups to "catch" everything. zardoz is located in Southern California, has 45 uucp links including uunet, and is in the process of becoming part of the Internet. Reliable delivery is available to any bang path or internet address. Each mailing list destination can choose to receive either automatically "reflected" postings of all received material, or moderated digests that are sent out about once a week. There is a seperate posting address for emergencies that reflects the received material to the entire mailing list without any intervention on my part. I typically require that destinations have an interest in unix site security, or are involved in adding security enhancement software to unix, but I am flexible. To apply for membership, send email from one of the following or send email requesting that I contact one of the following (please arrange the former, it saves me time): 1. For uucp sites with a uucp map entry, the listed email contact, map entry writer, or root. 2. For internet sites, the NIC "WHOIS" listed site contact, or root. Please include the following: 1. The uucp map entry and map name to find it in, or the WHOIS response from the NIC and the request handle. 2. The actual email destination you want material sent to. It can be a person or alias, but must be on the same machine that you use as a reference, or in a sub-domain of said machine. 3. Whether you want immediate reflected postings, or the weekly moderated digests. 4. The email address and voice phone number of the administrative contact if different from the above. 5. The organization name, address, and voice phone number if not listed already. Please don't do any of the following: 1. send email from root on machine_17.basement.podunk_U.edu and expect that to be sufficient for membership. With workstations being so prevalent, and being so EASY to "crack", root doesn't mean much these days. 2. send email from root on the uucp map entry listed site toy-of-son and expect that to be sufficient. If you would prefer material sent to a home machine, verify your credentials through one of the previously mentioned methods. 3. send mail from a network that I don't have any way to verify, such as bitnet or others. I can verify uucp and internet sites. Send me some way to verify your credentials if you can't use an appropriate listed uucp or internet site. 4. send me mail saying I can verify your identity and credentials by telephoning a long distance number. I will continue to donate the extra computer capacity required for sending and archiving this list, and I will continue to spend the money on the extra uucp/internet communication costs that this list requires, but I draw the line at spending money on voice long distance phone calls. 5. send me an application request that involves a lot of time and special procedures for verification. Please try to make my processing of your application an easy matter. ------------------------------ From: Roter Alon Date: Sun, 11 Jun 89 17:52:04 +0200 Subject: Re: Information on the Brain virus (PC) Try BYTE,June 1989.There is a good article about Viruses in general with special focus on three of them:The Israeli Virus,The Brain Virus and some other one who's name I can't remmember right now. - -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- |Alon Roter AND THEY SAY YOUR| |BITNET:roter@bimacs.bitnet BIRD CAN SING?...| - -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ------------------------------ End of VIRUS-L Digest ********************* Downloaded From P-80 International Information Systems 304-744-2253