.NET virus is .NOT - Microsoft

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/56/23673.html

By John Leyden
Posted: 14/01/2002 at 19:49 GMT

Last week, antivirus vendors exposed Donut, supposedly the world's
first .Net virus. Only it isn't a. NET virus, Microsoft argues.

Donut is simply a native executable that elects to modify only
applications written for the Microsoft .NET Framework in the Microsoft
Intermediate Language (MSIL) PE format, the software firm says.

"In fact, the method of infection is the same as many much older
viruses, and it is detected by anti-virus software as a much older
loader virus," Microsoft states in an open letter on the subject.

Rob Rosenberger, editor of , the definitive chronicler of the hype and
hysteria which envelops computer security, supports Microsoft's
assessment. Donut would be better termed an "executable wrapper" than
a .NET virus, he says.

"If you can envelop a .ZIP file within a self-extractor .EXE module,
then OF COURSE you can do the same with a .NET file.

"It appears the author relied heavily on assembler, plus some C code,
plus a token amount of MSIL. The author went to some rather impressive
lengths to envelop a .Net file within a non-.NET module."

Describing Donut as the first .NET virus was like "like using the term
'woman' to describe a male cross-dresser", Rosenberger argues.

Jack Clark, product marketing manager for the McAfee division of
Network Associates, said since Donut affected only machines with .NET
installed and Win32 machines it was reasonable to describe it as a
.NET virus.

He agreed with Microsoft's assessment of the low threat posed by Donut
but maintained that its existence was "proof of concept" that .NET
might be used maliciously.



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