Re: The Virus

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> Bundle: 470
> Archive-Message-Number: 5620
> Subject: Re: The Virus
> Date: Wed, 09 Jun 93 18:20:34 +1000
> From: Pauli [email removed]

> I don't usually follow-up to myself but in this case it serves a purpose:

> Yesterday, I wrote:
> [stuff about the unviability of the virus at low TL deleted]

> Followed by an innane bit:
> >Yep done it.  Got it into a few hundred bytes of code.  Now to infect the
> >world!

> How many people paniced about this part of the message? (none???)

> Well this is EXACTLY how the virus is supposed to infect unknown (and possibly
> alien) computer systems.  Still sound reasonable at the current tech level???
> (I still make no claims about super high tech computers because I cannot know
> anything about them).

Never sounded reasonable.

> As an aside: This is quite close to how the 'internet worm' gained access
> to WELL KNOWN systems.  It didn't take very long for those systems to be
> cleaned up and the bugs fixed.  It is also possible to design a machine
> that is totally immune to an infection along these lines even with errors
> on the application programmers part.

Fearful of starting a religious war Matt says:
The internet worm attacked known bugs in the sendmail transport
system.  It only attacked specific platforms which it had
precompiled binaries available for.

This of course suggests that everyone in the old Traveller universe
ran on a few well known hardware platforms.  This is further supported
by the wide availability of programmes such as 'Jump-1', 'Jump-2' and
my personal favorite, 'Anti-Hijaacking'.

The virus should not be able to attack weird-alien computers such as
the ones onboard the Annic Nova.  Weird-alien (tm) ships suddenly
become much more valuable.  Planets which use WA technology suddenly
have a very favorable ballance of trade.  Time to go make some
notes...

Matt
- - --
Matthew Goldman  E-mail: [email removed] Work: [phone removed]

	Buddy: "Why do I always have to go first?"
	Sally: "Because you're expendable."

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