Re: Universal virus detector

Article View: comp.virus

Article #5136

#5136

From: Peter da Silva
Date: Fri, 02 Feb 1990 16:53

27 lines
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> For example, you can add a
> hardware-enforced switch which when in the OFF position makes it
> impossible to set the "is executable" bit at all.

So far so good.

> In this mode, you
> can't do program development, install new executables, or even copy
> executable files -

Pretty much so.

> but you absolutely can't be infected either.

Not true. What constitutes an "executable file"? Is a BASIC program one?
You can write a virus in BASIC. How about Postscript? You can hide a
virus in Postscript. You can't turn off your BASIC or Postscript
interpreters...

This is the basic sort of protection used by old Burroughs computers: only
the compilers could create executable files, and they were trusted programs.
They had no memory protection hardware at all.
- --
 _--_|\  Peter da Silva. +1 713 274 5180. <peter@ficc.uu.net>.
/      \
\_.--._/ Xenix Support -- it's not just a job, it's an adventure!
      v  "Have you hugged your wolf today?" `-_-'

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From: peter@ficc.uu.net (Peter da Silva)
Newsgroups: comp.virus
Subject: Re: Universal virus detector
Message-ID: <0012.9002051554.AA01695@ge.sei.cmu.edu>
Date: 2 Feb 90 16:53:56 GMT
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