QUESTION - Viruses & Shrinkit
Nathan Mates
Brian Wiser <brw...@xmission.com> wrote:
> How commonplace are viruses on the Apple II? What is the best/most
>comprehensive virus checker and where can I find it?
There's 2-3 for the GS that I know of (Lode Runner is the name of
one of them), but they almost don't exist. There never really
developed the nasty, bored programmers ready to write lots of viruses
for the GS; I'd love to think that's the result of it being such a
nice machine. :)
Viruses for pre-GS's are almost impossible to do, mostly because
with only 5.25" disks, and a reboot between programs, anything in
memory can get stomped on by the next program. HDs and programs that
can stay in memory without being stomped on are almost a requirement
for viruses to emerge.
> This may not be in the right group, but are there any programs on the
>Mac that will decompress a Shrinkit file? Thanks in advance!
GS Shrinkit (and maybe Shrinkit 3.x for the //) could read Stuffit
archives, maybe the reverse is true, seeing as Stuffit Deluxe seems to
support a lot of formats. There is an program, nulib, that can
pack/unpack/list shrinkit archives; a mac version was posted to c.b.a2
about 2 weeks ago, I believe. With nulib, you can unpack plain files
(such as on a pre-GS), but forked (GS/OS) files may not unpack on the
mac.
Nathan Mates
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Randy Shackelford
Nathan Mates <nat...@cco.caltech.edu> wrote:
> Viruses for pre-GS's are almost impossible to do, mostly because
>with only 5.25" disks, and a reboot between programs, anything in
>memory can get stomped on by the next program. HDs and programs that
>can stay in memory without being stomped on are almost a requirement
>for viruses to emerge.
I have a SYS file on a disk somewhere infested with Festering Hate, the most
prevalent 8 bit virus.
--
Randy Shackelford Huh huh, that was cool.
sh...@crash.cts.com
Rolf Braun
: In article <350vbg$f...@gap.cco.caltech.edu>,
: Nathan Mates <nat...@cco.caltech.edu> wrote:
: > Viruses for pre-GS's are almost impossible to do, mostly because
: >with only 5.25" disks, and a reboot between programs, anything in
: >memory can get stomped on by the next program. HDs and programs that
: >can stay in memory without being stomped on are almost a requirement
: >for viruses to emerge.
: I have a SYS file on a disk somewhere infested with Festering Hate, the most
: prevalent 8 bit virus.
I hear there's also one called CyberAIDS. Other than that, Festering Hate, and
Lode Runner, there are very few, although I have heard about Apocalypse I and
2001 Odyssey.
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
- Rolf Braun - Apple IIgs Programmer -
- Sassy Software - Technical Group, Monticello Area -
- TidalWave on IRC - Virtual Village -
- Internet e-mail: rbr...@hopper.itc.virginia.edu -
- WWW Home Page: http://hopper.itc.virginia.edu/~rbraun -
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Neil Parker
rbr...@Hopper.ITC.Virginia.EDU (Rolf Braun) writes:
>Randy Shackelford (sh...@crash.cts.com) wrote:
>: In article <350vbg$f...@gap.cco.caltech.edu>,
>: Nathan Mates <nat...@cco.caltech.edu> wrote:
>: > Viruses for pre-GS's are almost impossible to do, mostly because
>: >with only 5.25" disks, and a reboot between programs, anything in
>: >memory can get stomped on by the next program. HDs and programs that
>: >can stay in memory without being stomped on are almost a requirement
>: >for viruses to emerge.
>: I have a SYS file on a disk somewhere infested with Festering Hate, the most
>: prevalent 8 bit virus.
>I hear there's also one called CyberAIDS. Other than that, Festering Hate, and
>Lode Runner, there are very few, although I have heard about Apocalypse I and
>2001 Odyssey.
The documentation file on the Photonix disk mentions a couple of other
viruses, by the names of DAVE and STARFIGHTER II (aka BLACKOUT).
The only virus I've ever seen personally was Load Runner. I still have a
copy sitting on a disk that I remember never to try to boot from.
Disassembling it taught me a few Things Humankind Was Not Meant To Know
about the IIGS Memory Manager...
- Neil Parker
--
Neil Parker No cute ASCII art...no cute quote...no cute
npa...@cie-2.uoregon.edu disclaimer...no deposit, no return...
npa...@cie.uoregon.edu (This space intentionally left blank: )
Mitchell Spector
>
>I hear there's also one called CyberAIDS. Other than that, Festering Hate, and
>Lode Runner, there are very few, although I have heard about Apocalypse I and
>2001 Odyssey.
I've only been infected with a virus twice. One was the infamous
"Black-Out" virus NinjaForce made a part of their first and only demo, the
other was the "Star Fighter II" virus. I've no idea what the later one does,
I only found out about it when making a backup copy of a disk with ZZCopy. It
reported finding this virus as soon as it started reading the disk.
Luckly, there's virtually no thread of viruses in the Apple II world
today, which I see as yet another advantage over using IBMs and Macs.. :-)
>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
>- Rolf Braun - Apple IIgs Programmer -
>- Sassy Software - Technical Group, Monticello Area -
>- TidalWave on IRC - Virtual Village -
>- Internet e-mail: rbr...@hopper.itc.virginia.edu -
>- WWW Home Page: http://hopper.itc.virginia.edu/~rbraun -
>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Mitchell Spector
m_s...@pavo.concordia.ca / spe...@vax2.concordia.ca
Timothy D. Shoppa x4256
>spe...@vax2.concordia.ca (Mitchell Spector) writes:
>> Luckly, there's virtually no thread of viruses in the Apple II world
>>today, which I see as yet another advantage over using IBMs and Macs.. :-)
>
>at the IIgs only, or are there viruses that will infect ProDOS 8
>and DOS 3.3 disks or files? (I'm especially interested in these,
>since I don't have a IIgs.) What are the standard anti-virus tools
>for each OS? Can I get Apple II virus source or object code somewhere
>on the net (not very likely, I suppose).
>
Apple II virii definitely do exist. The first mention I ever saw
of a computer virus was in Scientific American 10 years ago or so.
It was in, I believe, the "Mathematical Recreations" section, and
had Apple II specific info. From the information in the column, I wrote
my own little DOS 3.3 virus nearly 10 years ago.
As you probably know, DOS 3.3 resides on the first three tracks of
of the floppy disk. However, there is a lot of free space in the
third track. I added some extra code in this space and spliced it
into the RWTS routine. Whenever RWTS was called on to read track $11
sector $F (the first step in accessing the directory), I had my
new code check to see if the floppy had been already infected, by
checking a certain byte in a certain modified sector somewhere in
the first three tracks. If
the floppy had not been infected, my new code modified the DOS
3.3 image on the first three tracks so that it was infected.
If you booted from an infected floppy, then replaced it with a
non-infected floppy and did any sort of file or catalog access and
the new floppy was not write protected, the new floppy would get
infected.
In the case of this simple little virus, the way to see if you were
infected was to boot, then do a CATALOG. If the head went straight
to the directory track ($11), then the disk you booted from wasn't
infected. However, if the head swept down to one of the first few tracks
to check for infection, then the disk you booted from was infected.
You could check this by watching the head positioner with the cover
removed from a floppy drive, but it was usually much simpler to listen
for the "whoosh-whoosh" as the head stepped in and out.
The cure for infection by my virus was simple: copy the first three
tracks from a non-infected disk to your infected disk.
This is probably the most simple-minded sort of virus you could write.
Chances are that there are many much more complex virii in existence,
that are not so easy to detect. I wouldn't know the details of these.
Paul Guertin
>In article rbr...@Hopper.ITC.Virginia.EDU (Rolf Braun) writes...
>>
>>I hear there's also one called CyberAIDS. Other than that, Festering Hate, and
>>Lode Runner, there are very few, although I have heard about Apocalypse I and
>>2001 Odyssey.
>
>today, which I see as yet another advantage over using IBMs and Macs.. :-)
Where can I get information on Apple II viruses? Are then targeted
at the IIgs only, or are there viruses that will infect ProDOS 8
and DOS 3.3 disks or files? (I'm especially interested in these,
since I don't have a IIgs.) What are the standard anti-virus tools
for each OS? Can I get Apple II virus source or object code somewhere
on the net (not very likely, I suppose).
I realize that viruses are a taboo subject in some circles.
No flames please: I have no intention of writing a new virus.
I'm just curious. I've seen the source code for a number of
MS-DOS viruses and I'd like to compare them to Apple viruses.
Paul Guertin
guer...@iro.umontreal.ca
Randy Shackelford
Paul Guertin <guer...@IRO.UMontreal.CA> wrote:
>Where can I get information on Apple II viruses? Are then targeted
>at the IIgs only, or are there viruses that will infect ProDOS 8
>and DOS 3.3 disks or files? (I'm especially interested in these,
>since I don't have a IIgs.) What are the standard anti-virus tools
>for each OS? Can I get Apple II virus source or object code somewhere
>on the net (not very likely, I suppose).
All the viruses I know of are 8 bit. I don't think any native ones ever
surfaced.
If I can dig up the disk with the program infected with Festering Hate, I
might put it on comp.binaries if there is interest.
Rolf Braun
: In article <Cw3I8...@iro.umontreal.ca>,
: Paul Guertin <guer...@IRO.UMontreal.CA> wrote:
Please DON'T. Everyone on the Net can read cba2, and a posting of a virus
there could turn into a malicious outbreak.
--
Neil Parker
writes:
>[...munch, chomp, yum yum...]
>All the viruses I know of are 8 bit. I don't think any native ones ever
>surfaced.
LOAD RUNNER is definitely native...it's got 65816 code in it, and it requires
space in bank $E1 to hide in and a Memory Manager to subvert.
>If I can dig up the disk with the program infected with Festering Hate, I
>might put it on comp.binaries if there is interest.
There are probably several people here (including myself) who are interested,
but posting it probably isn't a good idea. All it takes is one immature
little munchkin reading comp.binaries.apple2, and we'll start seeing new
Festering Hate infections years after we thought the disease was eradicated.
Randy Shackelford
Neil Parker <npa...@cie-2.uoregon.edu> wrote:
>>If I can dig up the disk with the program infected with Festering Hate, I
>>might put it on comp.binaries if there is interest.
>
>There are probably several people here (including myself) who are interested,
>but posting it probably isn't a good idea. All it takes is one immature
>little munchkin reading comp.binaries.apple2, and we'll start seeing new
>Festering Hate infections years after we thought the disease was eradicated.
I dunno about that. I'd say you can count all the 8 bit stuff posted or
distributed on the net so far this year on one hand with fingers to spare.
Plus it's known and all the virus programs know how to spot it.
Neil Parker
writes:
True, there haven't been many appropriate software postings lately. But one
NEW infected posting would be sufficient to restart the infection cycle.
And be honest, everybody...these days, with so few Apple viruses circulating
in the real world, how many of you actually bother to USE your virus-detecting
software with any regularity? (I confess--the last time I had to disinfect my
system was over five years ago.)
Bryony Bechtold
: In article <Cw3I8...@iro.umontreal.ca>,
: Paul Guertin <guer...@IRO.UMontreal.CA> wrote:
What's bizarre is how many people started out in the Apple II world. If you
remember Festering Hate (Festering Hate in 88) it boots up with that needle
going into a disk graphic page, that flips to a page with stuff on it, among
which is "Glen bredon Fan Club" and "Elect Lord Digital as god Committee,
Worshippers of PAT".
Lord Digital also appears as this myth-figure in various cDc releases, and
every other issue of Wired, Mondo 2000, etc. What's weirder still is seeing
this guy on MTV News talkingM about his book coming out and his movie career
starting. He also is one of the owners of MindVox and a pretty hot writer.
What's weirest of atll is the author of Festering Hate (The Plague, aka:
Murdering Thug) who wrote an article about it in an issue of 2600 magazine,
INCLUDING some source code, is also on mindvox, and was just featured for
about 6 paragraphs in a playboy article about cyberpunk/cyberspace.
Small world and so much of it seems to have begun on the Apple II.