40Hex Number 6 Volume 2 Issue 2                                       File 006

   Well, this little news "tid-bit" came from Attitude Adjuster, one of the
few non-PHALCON/SKISM contributers (ok, the ONLY non P/S member), Thanks a
lot dude, keep the submissions coming.  The article itself is quite sad,
and makes me question the intelligence of our opposition.

                                       -)GHeap&Demo
                                       Thanx to CZ for THE line.
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                    - We need Computer Virus Snitches -
              Written By Mike Royko, Tribune Media Services.
                      Retyped by The Attitude Adjuster

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        Millions  of computer users are wondering how to protect themselves
against  the wave of viruses that are threatening their machines. I have  a
suggestion.[So do I, avoid Bnu 1.90Beta]
        First, they  should  remember  that these viruses don't spring from
nature. They  are  little  computer  programs  that are created and sent on
their  way  by people  that are brainy,  malicious and  arrogant.[I am  not
brainy]
        So,  the  question is,  how  do you  find  the creators of computer
virus programs?
        Because  they are  arrogant, it's  likely that they want someone to
know what a clever thing they have done. They won't hold a press conference
[Actually, we do hold press conferences.  See Michael Alexander@Computerworld]
but  chances  are they  will brag  to a  trusted friend  or acquaintance or
fellow hacker.
        It is sad, but the world is full of snitches.[Get a thesaurus] Look
at John Gotti,  the nation's  biggest Mafia boss.  There was a time when it
was  unthinkable for  even the lowest-level Mafia soldier to blab.  But now
Gotti has to sit in court while his former  right-hand  man tells about how
they got people whacked.  [We whack people too]
        So if Mafia  figures can be persuaded to tattle[Na-na-na-na-na], is
there any reason  to believe that nerds  have a greater  sense of honor and
loyalty?  [Yes, we also have brains]
       Of course[.] not, but how do you get them to do it?

       Money. [Now yer talking... my mom is really the Dark Avenger, I want
my money now.]

       These  companies [what companies,  I only  hit hospitals]  could use
petty cash  to place  ads in the  computer magazines and on  the electronic
bulletin boards.  [Ok, call my BBS and  post this tidbit.  40Hex now has ad
space available]
       The  ads  would  say  something  like: "A  $50,000  reward  for  any
information leading to the arrest and conviction of virus authors."
[How can you convict a virus author. It isn't illegal.  Go play Tank Wars.]
       The  next question  would be  what to  do with the virus makers once
they  have been  caught. And  that's  the  key  to putting  an  end to  the
problem:  something  that could  be  posted  on  those electronic  bulletin
boards  that  might cause  an aspiring  virus-maker to go take a brisk walk
instead.
        A judge  would sit  and listen  to an  attorney who would say some-
thing like this:
        "Your  honor,  what we  have here  is an  otherwise  fine young man
from  a good  family. His  father is  a brilliant scholar, and the son will
someday be the same."[I am going to be a certified scholar when I grow up.]
        "What  he did  was no  more than  an intellectual prank, a cerebral
challenge of  sorts. Like  the man who climbed Mount Everest because it was
there, he created the virus and sent it fourth because it was there."
        Then, we can hope, the judge might say something like this:
        "Yes,  I am  impressed  by  the  defendant's  brain  power.  And  I
expected you to ask me to give him a slap on the wrist."
        "However,  he  is  not  a child.  He is an adult. And I would think
that  so  brilliant a  grown  man would  know better  than to amuse himself
by screwing with the lives of strangers."  [I haven't screwed one stranger]
        "It's  as if  he hid  inside  the businesses and institutions until
they  were closed  and  everyone had  gone home. Then  he came out and went
through  every  filing cabinet  and drawer and shredded or burned every bit
of useful information he could find."[Cool! Lets try it.]
        "Now,  counselor, what  would you and your law partners say is some
street mope [See Thesaurus] did that  to your firm - crept in and destroyed
every document in your offices? Including the names of clients that owe you
money. Hah, you would be in here asking me to hang him from a tree."[I love
hanging from trees]
        "So  don't  give  me that  smart  kid  from  a good family routine.
[I ain't smart, and family ain't good] He is a self-centered,  insensitive,
uncaring,  arrogant goofball  [And  damn proud].  He didn't  give a  second
thought to the  chaos or  heartbreak he would  cause an adoption  agency, a
hardworking businessman or a medical clinic." [Yes I did.  I aim for them.]
        "Therefore,  I sentence him  to the maximum sentence the law allows
in the local jailhouse [0, NUL, ZIP-o, /dev/null, etc..], which is a really
terrible place, filled with all sorts of crude, insensitive hulks."
[Jay-walkers]
        "Bailiff,  please get the defendent up off the floor and administer
some smelling salts."[More like, why is the defendant laughing?]
        "And change his trousers, quickly."[Fuck you]

                                   []comments added by Demogorgon and GHeap

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               I hope you enjoyed that one as much as I did! Okay, I
       see some really neat things with this man's article. First off,
       I'm sure he's an adept programmer... that is, he can probably
       figure out how to get his VCR to tape something while he is
       off writing his brilliant articles. I enjoy his narrow-minded
       definition of virii (that was mentioned in 40Hex 5), of course,
       all virii are those evil overwriting, trigger date, resident,
       boot track infecting swine (yeah, he probably learned what a
       virus was from watching ABC News covering the Michaelangelo
       crisis!)
               I also enjoy his opinion that all virus authors are
       nerds.  First off, what the hell is a nerd?  I mean, I have
       written a virus before (not saying it was any good), but, I
       don't feel like a nerd!  In fact, I feel quite superior to
       most of the idiots like this guy.  And, I like his great
       statement about my loyalty.  Yes, I'm gonna narc on [PHALCON/
       [Forget this again, and die]]SKISM for $50,000!!! Yeah, right.
       There are a lot of narcs on this not-so good earth, so choose
       your friends wisely.
               I'm quite sure that ads on BBS's (electronic bulletin
       boards! No... cork ones!) would just sufficiently pump up user
       discussion of virii.  I'm not scared of fed intervention, and
       I doubt any authors I know are either.
               This was touched on in 40Hex 5, virus authors are not
       responsible for the spread of their virii unless they are
       actively spreading them!  I mean, it's not my fault that K-Rad
       Man sent my Hard Drive Blender (slices, dices, minces sectors)
       to 1000 Bible boards in Utah. Apparently it hasn't dawned on
       this guy that most virii are not written to be destructive.
       Actually, that's a lie.  There are a lot of virii out there that
       are descructive, but that is changing.  People like the
       PHALCON/SKISM crew realize that not everything must be
       destructive, opening the doors to much larger virus projects
       (ie Bobisms)
               One more thing... QUIT EQUATING THE WORD 'hacker' TO
       EVERY DAMN TYPE OF ELECTRONIC 'crime!!!'


               I'm gonna get this dude's phone #, I say we call him
       sometime...


                       -The Attitude Adjuster-

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