[NTLUG:Discuss] The "virus"

[Shane Wickson]

This is just one of my other pet peeves about popular media and such.  If
you are looking for practical info about this new program bringing every
computer to its knees, then delete this and go on about your
business.  *WARNING: shades of my millenium rant appear here*

<rant>
This I LOVE YOU program is not a virus.  It might be described more
accurately as either a trojan horse or a worm.  Here's some definitions
that you may hurl at the clueless:

Virus - a self replicating program that propagates by attaching itself to
host programs and going where they go.  Its this behavior that mirror the
biological virus from whence it gets its name.

Trojan Horse - a program that claims to do one thing, but instead does
something malicious.  Like the Trojan Horse of Greek or Roman (don't
remember which) mythology/history.

Worm - a self replicating program that propagates through some sort of
active method across a network.  For instance, RTM's famous Internet Worm
propagated by logging into remote systems through secruity holes in
fingerd and sendmail, then copying itself across the network.

So to hear this program called a "virus" by the media and others makes the
hairs stand up on the back of my neck much like when someone refers to a
3.5" floppy as their "hard disk".  Its obviously not a virus, since it
doesn't infect a host program and it doesn't copy itself passively.

You could argue its a Trojan Horse, b/c it claims to be a friendly
attachment but instead romps all over your hard disk like a muddy pawed
puppy on a brand new rug.

You could argue its a Worm, b/c it copies itself actively by sending out
emails to every address it can find.

But don't call it a virus.  The shoe just doesn't fit.  That dog won't
hunt. *Insert other colloquialisms and cliches here*

</rant>

Shane Wickson