MAN_iax

[John Young <jya@pipeline.com>]

   9-4-95. NYPaper:

   "Computers Beware! New Type of Virus Is Loose on the Net."

      A new and deceptively simple type of computer virus, one
      that can sneak past security devices by hitching rides
      on electronic mail and other common Internet files, is
      causing deep concern among computer security officials
      around the world. Mr. Schmidt of Sun says, "There are 
      criminals in the world and some of them are programmers.
      With computer networks, they have an amplifying effect 
      that they've never had before. If I were a criminal with 
      a gun, I might attack one person. But with a computer
      network, I can attack a million people at a time. It's
      like an atomic bomb." To avert a potential disaster, 
      Mr. Schmidt has enlisted three of the world's top 
      computer security experts, including Tsutomo Shimomura, 
      Dan Farmer and Whitfield Diffie.

   "Cybervirus Whodunit: Who Creates This Stuff?"

      Ms. Gordon conducted detailed interviews, by electronic
      mail, Internet chat, telephone and in person, with more
      than 60 virus writers. "The virus writer has been 
      characterized by some as a bad, evil, depraved, maniac, 
      terrorist, technopathic, genius gone mad, sociopath." 
      This, she said, "is a gross oversimplification of the 
      situation."

   "Dick Tracy, Eat Your Heart Out."

      Move over, Captain Midnight. Heads up, Mata Hari. Now
      anyone can have a real-life decoder ring. The ring has
      a computer chip encoded with an identification number
      that gives the wearer access to secret computer files or
      locked rooms. The chip transmits your secret ID number 
      or data at the space-age speed of 16,000 bits a second.


   Triplets: MAN_iax