Are \"Good\" Computer Viruses Still a Bad Idea?
Vesselin Bontchev
Research Associate
Virus Test Center
University of Hamburg
Vogt-Koelln-Str. 30, 22527 Hamburg, Germany
bontchev@fbihh.informatik.uni-hamburg.de [Editor\'s note: Vesselin\'s
current email address is bontchev@complex.is]
During the past six years, computer viruses have caused unaccountable amount of
damage - mostly due to loss of time and resources. For most users, the term
\"computer virus\" is a synonym of the worst nightmares that can happen on their
system. Yet some well-known researchers keep insisting that it is possible to
use the replication mechanism of the viral programs for some useful and
beneficial purposes.
This paper is an attempt to summarize why exactly the general public appreciates
computer viruses as something inherently bad. It is also considering several of
the proposed models of \"beneficial\" viruses and points out the problems in them.
A set of conditions......
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Approximate Word Count: 4465
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