Re: write viruses? it's controversy time of the month

[Drsolly <drsollyp () drsolly com>]

On Tue, 29 Aug 2006 Valdis.Kletnieks () vt edu wrote:

> On Tue, 29 Aug 2006 16:13:49 CDT, Gadi Evron said:
> > http://www.heise-security.co.uk/articles/77440
> >
> > Okay, so, who wants to shout writing viruses is bad, first?
>
> Releasing viruses is bad.
>
> Keeping a stockpile of viruses under conditions that they may escape
> is bad - and it doesn't matter if you wrote them or collected them.
> You may have collected a rare virus that hasn't been seen yet by A/V
> signature writers - or you may write viruses that intentionally are
> detected by current scanners.  So the moral injunction is to not release
> undetectable viruses, no matter what source.
>
> Writing a non-released virus?  That's a black box by definition, and
> morally neutral.
 
We still don't know that they wrote any viruses. Since they created 5,500 
files, they must have used some automated program, and I really doubt that 
they tested each of these 5,500 files to check that they really were 
viruses.

In order to assess their test, we have to get a copy of those 5,500 files.

So, here's a question - are they willing to release them? If yes, then the 
"black box" isn't black any more. If no, then no-one can tell whether they 
did a valid test or not.


_______________________________________________
Fun and Misc security discussion for OT posts.
https://linuxbox.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/funsec
Note: funsec is a public and open mailing list.