Re: Spreading an anti-virus like a virus

[John Bond <john.r.bond () gmail com>]

It strikes me that if virus software is able to spread like a virus
then the method which allows the virus software to spread is a
security hole which would need to be patched and therfore disable any
future updates of said virus software. It would be more logical to
issue patches as virus like software i.e. the patch abuses the
security hole it patches.


On 06/12/05, Chris Largret <largret () gmail com> wrote:
> On Mon, 2005-12-05 at 21:52 +0530, Pranav Lal wrote:
> > Hi all,
> >
> > At some point I have read that a possible approach in dealing with
> > the spread of a computer virus over the Internet is to make the
> > anti-virus spread like a virus. I remember reading a debate on this
> > approach. Does any one have any links?
>
> Yes, I have seen several threads along that line. It is an interesting
> thought to ponder, but not something that should ever be implemented.
> There are too many unknowns when you are putting a "virus-like" program
> on another computer. Networks, programs that are monitoring or doing
> various things, special settings that the user may or may not have
> activated, whether they have all of the latest patches or not, etc.
> Virus writers don't really deal with special cases, but a program to
> deal with "fixing" the computer by entering the computer illegitimately
> would have to make sure it doesn't break anything.
>
> That is what all of the various threads basically boil down to. No
> matter the purpose of the program, if it breaks into the computer and
> loads itself on that machine, that program is a worm or virus.
>
> All of the testing is why anti-virus vendors charge for their time.
>
> --
> Chris Largret <http://daga.dyndns.org>