VIRUS-L Digest Wednesday, 7 Dec 1988 Volume 1 : Issue 37
Today's Topics:
Cost of the RTM WORM and new U.S. legislation
more conference info
RE: locking of a PC harddisk
Low level format (PC)
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Date: Wed, 07 Dec 88 08:58 CST
From: Ken De Cruyenaere <KDC@UOFMCC> 204-474-8340
Subject: Cost of the RTM WORM and new U.S. legislation
The Computer Security Institute newsletter (#84) quotes an estimate
from USA TODAY saying that the cost of the incident exceeds
$95 million.
"This is based on 6200 computer affected, requiring 12 programmers at
each site to spend 36 hours each (at $22 per hour) checking out every
system that might have been affected, and adding in lost computer
time (16 hours per system at $372 per hour). However, even if this
figure substantially overstates the case, there is no doubt that the
true costs were indeed in the millions of dollars."
The newsletter also provides details of the new virus law (mentioned
by Don Alvarez in Virus digest #22):
"Congressman Wally Herger (R-California) has introduced H.R.5061, the
'Computer Virus Eradication Act of 1988' If passed, this bill would
define the introduction or conscious dessemination of (i.e.
knowingly passing along to someone else) computer viruses
(or other harmful programs) that impact interstate or foreign
commerce as a type of 'malicious mischief' prohibited under title
18 of the U.S. Code. Penalties range up to 10 years imprisonment
and allow for recovery of damages via civil action. To obtain a
copy of H.R.5061, contact your local Congressional representative."
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From:
[email protected]
Date: Wed, 7 Dec 88 10:13:48 est
Subject: more conference info
It's a two (read one and a half) day seminar, Monday and Tuesday,
January 30 and 31.
Preventing and Containing Computer Virus Attacks
Day 1:
Introduction: Overview of the virus phenomenon
Thomas Samson, partner, Heidrick & Struggles, Dallas, TX
Designing Virus-Resistant Systems
Patricia Sission, NASA, Greenbelt, MD
Luncheon Talk: Legislative update
Representative Wally Herger (R-CA)
Successful security awareness programs
Nicholas Elsberg, corp. sec. officer, Aetna Life & Casualty, Hartford, CT
Conducting a risk assessment
Jerrard Gartnet, senior mgr., national auditing services, EDP audit
research, Price Waterhouse, Toronto
Day 2:
Overview of commercial anti-virus filters and vaccines
Robert Jacobsen, IST Inc., New York, NY
What to do if you have been attacked
A special agent with the FBI, Washington, DC
Liability issues of virus attacks
Robert Baker, attorney, Weinberg & Green, Baltimore, MD
Marr Haack, dir. of marketing, electronics and information technology,
St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance Co., St. Paul, MN
John Landry, chairman, ADAPSO virus committee, executive VP for
development, Cullinet Software, Westwood, MA
Sponsored by nalyzer, IC Strategist, The National Report on
Computers and Health, Back-Office Bulletin, 411, and Telecommunications Alert
Hand-typed, so I take full responsibility for typos and erros
- - Gregg
_______________________________________________________________________________
_
Gregg TeHennepe | BITNET: gateh@conncoll
Minicomputer Specialist | Phone: (203) 447-7681
Academic Computing and User Services
Connecticut College
New London, CT 06320
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Date: Wed, 7 Dec 88 08:47 MDT
From: GORDON_A%
[email protected]
Subject: RE: locking of a PC harddisk
To Y. Radai -- regarding locking out a PC harddisk: even though the
partition table can be altered to fool DOS, a program, such as a
virus, can initiate a low level format through the disk controller,
such as implemeted through debug with g=c800:5.
Allen Gordon
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Date: Wed, 07 Dec 88 11:22:29 EDrd disks while leaving all data
in place.
It is put out by Gibson Research Corp (Box 6024, Irvine, CA 92716) and
I think my copy was about $60. This is the Gibson that writes a
column for Inforworld.
Has anybody used this? I confess one of the reasons I haven't run is
that it still seems tricky (although the doco is written so even I can
understand it) to mess around with low level formatting. Any comments
from users would be appreciated.
Acknowledge-To: <3ZLUFUR@CMUVM>
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End of VIRUS-L Digest
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