<OT> I can't resist

[Garth Meisel]

>   Actually, I beat you to it.  I've gotten annoyed enough that I
> suggested in NANAE (news.admin.net-abuse.email) that governments
> commisssion a virus/worm that drops a DOS executable, and reboots into
> DOS, then loads itself into memory, low-level mis-formats the hard drive
> and flashes garbage into the BIOS for good measure.
>
>   If people have their systems protected properly, this virus wouldn't
> hurt them.  If it works on them, then they were vulnerable.  Better to
> lose one computer, rather than...
<snip>

And $1000 (if I had it) to the first person that can make my keyboard clap for 
certain messages!
I second the motion, 3rd it virtually, and blah blah blah!

So let's break that down a little:
#1- Would have to run for 3 months to be CERTAIN to catch 99% of the computers 
in the world.  If that is even long enough.    
#2- Would have to be in EVERY language in the world, at least the final 
message.
#3- #2 coincides with the D-day which should NOT be the end or beginning or 
near middle of the month for general courtesy reasons.
#4- The worm would likely be BETTER off announcing itself with the promise to 
never interfere or use the system resources until 10 minutes after any 
activity and to immediately halt activity when it notices any activity via 
mouse/keyboard/joystick only.
#5- The worm should also announce that it is NOT harming the system and won't 
interfere with normal workings and also promise to not take anything more 
than the IP (static) or MAC# (DHCP) or phone number.  This leaves a little 
work for virtual private network's administrators.     
#6- At D-day the worm must only do "pop-up's" to notify the user they need 
protection and or better computing habits.  ie. No HTML email & attachment 
checking.
#7- At D-day there should be a web site flashed where they can get the 
required information for better habits and or other NON-commercial software 
to ease their embarrassment.  No plugs for anything, not even OSS or M$ will 
surely put an end to any reasonable expectation of effect.
#8- All major/minor platforms and OS keepers must be notified in order to 
maintain the actual truth of the experiment.  M$, MAC, Linux (all of them), 
even Lindoze and the rest.  Otherwise one of them, we can all guess who we 
hate most, someone will try to make their system appear better than the 
others by cheating.
#9- Which brings us to the without a doubt toughest audience to convince: The 
anti-virus writers of the world.  They must without a doubt be notified and 
government instructed (with severe penalty for any trickery) to not interfere 
or block/hold/quarantine, basically let it zip right through.  This is where 
and why the header or description line in the code MUST be protected until  
D-day so that there are no copy-cats with other intentions.  And this is the 
exact problem why all of you just wasted your time reading this.  Sorry!
#10- I despise  anti-virus writers anti-virus pushers.  Anyone that doesn't 
know who the GREATEST total of virii comes from the so called anti-virus 
software makers/sellers really needs to think twice.  What better way to sell 
a product than to create a need for it.  Analogy: I'm the only or the biggest 
windshield sales/installation company in my city or the world for that 
matter.  But my business is starving and I'm hungry too.  Is it right that I 
hire gangs and people willing to do the job to go out and damage windshields 
in the night?  
I'm a tire store.  Can I got out slashing tires at night or drive down the 
road dropping nails and spike balls from a hole in my floor?  
Yeah, if we lived in a perfect world where everyone acted according to the 
laws, we wouldn't even need police.  But we do not, therefore we need to act 
as large a group as possible and that is our best defense.  
The bottom line is the sooner EVERYONE boycotts anti-virus software and takes 
the SMART way out, the sooner the dreaded virus itself will disappear.  
That's just my opinion and I'm sure there's more to it because virii will 
always be around.  

Gone off-track a little there, sorry, forgive me for thinking outloud.  

I like the idea Walter but there obviously needs to be way more thought that 
goes into something like that than I can personally come up with.  This is 
how much I came up with in the time it took to write this.  I'll gladly 
continue this discussion privately if it gets too hot to handle here.  : )
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