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Oracle Tips by Burleson |
Web Stalkers
Chapter 12 - Virus Attacks
Viruses: Who’s Behind Them
Chris Kraft of Sophos Inc. has a blunt response
to those kinds of charges. “That is a myth. Antivirus software
companies do not develop viruses.” An antivirus company does work
with the viruses that other people develop. They are dissected and
analyzed in order to see how they work and how best to defend
against them. Chris contends that antivirus companies will have no
shortage of business in the foreseeable future. “There are enough
malicious people out there,” says Chris, to keep them in business
for a long time.
So who is writing the virus software? Most of
the people creating viruses remain anonymous, but enough of them
have been discovered and investigated for an outline of certain
personality types to develop.
At least a portion of those creating viruses
are looking for notoriety among their hacking peers. The amount of
damage they can do, how fast they can do it and whether they can get
the attention of the popular media all contribute to their standing.
Not unlike real world criminals where the size of a heist might
grant them a kind of fame among other crooks, computer hackers focus
on the number of machines they can hack and the problems they can
cause.
Some virus authors are merely thieves,
motivated by the lure of easy money. These types of crooks might
hack directly into a system and steal money if they can.
Alternatively, they may steal information from a site and sell it to
others who will then use it to commit still more crimes.
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