View Full Version : virus / worm writers
Graeme*Kustom*
28-01-2003, 00:27
Why do people feel they gotta make these things ?
It's a real pain, internet terrorism..
What could make an interesting talking point - it's often rumoured that anti-virus developers originate some viruses or hoaxes... has anyone ever confirmed this?
Originally posted by Graeme*Kustom*
What could make an interesting talking point - it's often rumoured that anti-virus developers originate some viruses or hoaxes... has anyone ever confirmed this?
Wouldnt surprise me if they make some but most are idiots who have no lives tbh :(
The one thing that gets me is everyone saying how insecure something is. Take MS SQL as an example because of the recent coverage:
Microsoft releases a patch to a security flaw months ago, many admins don't bother to patch the server and so are open targets to the people looking for unpatched servers. They get attacked and affect a lot of other people and servers in the process - all because an admin didnt put the patch on.
Also, the UDP port shouldnt be accessable externally, a firewall should at least block it - but as this weekend proved, it caused damage by not blocking it.
Sigh
*goes away to patch servers*
Schvetty
30-01-2003, 11:57
most people/company that make virus's are trying to get points across that...the big companys who sell software who say it is nice and secure "they are lieing and to prove it we will make a virus to get in" etc etc etc
what do u reacon?
About 5-6 years ago now I was at a seminar in london with college. One of the speakers was dr solomon(at the time one of the leading anti virus companies) My lecturer asked him if it was feasible that seeing as he makes the anti virus software that he is the one who makes the viruses as well.
Dr solomon started mumbling :D It rocked :D
Schvetty
30-01-2003, 12:16
reminds me of that bill gates video win98 blue screen and him with his kermit the frog voice start saying "erm heheherm miss piggy help me"
lol, i remember that, i got the video of it somewhere.:D
DarkAngel
02-02-2003, 14:39
But then again...
Who needs viruses when you've got Microsoft Windows? :D
Worms and Viri are made by people that are missing something, either a brain or a life who want to try and proove somethign or show off to others. Generally if they put their knowledge to good use they could make decent money.
On the subject of security I wouldn't say windows / sql etc. are overly insecure. At the end of the day they're amazing bits of software and it's got to be expected that there are going to be some issues. Microsoft do a great job of releasing updates and patches (although sometimes hard to tell it needs patching or to find out a patch released).
If linux etc was targetted as much and had the same use as MS there would be an equal number of serious issues.
If sysadmins had the knowledge and experience to manage their systems there shouldn't be an issue (relative to the number of servers there are in the world - obviusly there are going to be a few!).
I learnt the hard way, I run a IIS server for sites I create and must have missed a patch somewhere, I found a 'pubstro' FTP server being run in a hidden directory in my recycle bin and a port being mapped to a command line on my computer. Took me a while to sort it out, I was just thankfull I caught it before my entire networ was compromised. It was my own fault at the end of the day and althought it could be easier (not command line based checker) to get the patches they are there!!
Anyway, enough waffle! I'll defend windows and nearly all of Microsofts products. I just don't agree with the prices they charge.
/me puts on flame helmet and runs for the hills!
Originally posted by zander
Worms and Viri are made by people that are missing something, either a brain or a life....
...or a *trouser dragon* :D
/me can't think of a politically correct term, but it had to be said ;)
about as effective as an AMD CPU without a Heatsink, and we'll live that long as well lol.
EDIt
just realised that this was a post dragged back from the grave :p
You can say that without virus writers systems would be insecure. But WOuld it matter if there weren`t ppl to try and force their way in.
Virus writers are for the most part ppl who love a challenge. Although some viruses are destructive there are others like the anna kournikova one that was doen to see how far he could make it go.
A friend of mine at my first uni wrote word macro viruses. IT was not to be malisiouc but merely to see if he could beat the virus checkers which he did time and time again. As soon As he had beat it he`d send the code over to the companies and try again. Its the challenge which is what human nature is all about.
We did release a virus he wrote once onto the uni network. The payload wasnt attached but we just wanted to see how far it would travel. It turned out nearly everyone in the uni had it :D
I read somewhere today that the writer of a virus that caused mayhem last week has been caught, his name has not been disclosed yet.
I vote they are shot then they'll write no more.
eXistenZ
07-05-2003, 14:00
Originally posted by Jack*Kustom*
Or put it in the biological sense - if we didn't have bacteria, viri etc..., how effective do you think our immune systems would be???
What would be the point in having an immune system if there was nothing to infect you??
When I think of a virus/worm writer I see a fat little geek in a dark room that nobody cares about of talks to who is an attention seeker. They're like modern day grafitti scribblers. Theyre basically saying look at me look at me look what I've done!
I do in a way agree with what Jack says. For every Ying there's a Yang. However if there weren't *****s out there who found it necessary to hack, steal and damage then we wouldn't need virus checkers or powerful firewalls.
BTW LOL at Dr Soloman, it's like one of those conspiracy theories! I wonder what percentage of viruses are actually made by the Anti-virus companies :rolleyes:
very good. thats like saying we wouldnt need locks on our doors if there werent murderers/robbers etc.
there are, and probly always will be.
it only takes 1, and if the way was wide open for 1, then there would be more than 1, and then we'd be back to square 1
or to put it another way
What would be the point in having an immune system if there was nothing to infect you??
when the europeans arrived in africa they decimated the population with european illnesses which the african immune system was totally unprepared for. if they had had no immune system, they would have been wiped out completely.
and the immune system adapted
you can apply the analogy directly
Iggy, dude, that's profound! What coffee do you drink?
coffee? didnt know you could smoke that :o
Graeme*Kustom*
07-05-2003, 20:25
i'm sure it's possible iggy.
I wouldn't like to see the results though.
DaveMark
07-05-2003, 20:31
i can conferm this one of my dads m8s used to work for mcafree and they do make little worms ( nothing majour ) to look like there software is doing somthing .. u willl be pleased to know my dads m8 was not on this department
dave
Throughout time it's shown that fighting the effect is nearly always easier than fighting the cause. Building highly secure systems and then constantly patching them and buying anti-virus software and then constantly updating the signature is fighting the effect of ****s on the net. Fighting the cause would involve stopping these people from ever creating the virus by whatever means which would be a lot harder. Fighting the cause is harder but is never impossible
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