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Inside the Mind of a Virus Writer

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the getting-to-know dept.

sebFlyte writes "news.com.com is running a very interesting interview with 'Benny' (AKA Marek Strihavka), a former member of the famed 29A russian virus-writing group, about what drove the group among other things. He's now one of several ex-virus writers working for security companies."

10 of 231 comments (clear)

  1. Well, it looks like we finally have step #2... by errxn · · Score: 5, Funny

    1. Write viruses
    2. Work for antivirus company selling solutions to the viruses that you write
    3. Profit!

    --
    In Soviet Russia, Chuck Norris will still kick your ass.
  2. Viral Ideas. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Inside the Mind of a Virus Writer"

    Will I get infected reading the article?

    1. Re:Viral Ideas. by Motherfucking+Shit · · Score: 3, Funny
      Will I get infected reading the article?
      Only if you're running IE...
      --
      "BSD: Free as in speech. Linux: Free as in beer. Windows 10: Free as in herpes." --Man On Pink Corner in #52607549.
  3. Passionate Young Writer Pens Great American Virus by tenzig_112 · · Score: 2, Funny
    An excerpt from
    somesuch thing about a passionate young code mangler:


    Earnest in his desire to create a believable, honest, and confident email worm, Vallor spent the better part of a year researching the lives of Spanish explorers, history of potted meat, and geography of coastal Maine. After thoroughly outlining the project and writing a few initial lines, he suddenly lost his muse and shelved the project until his nerve returned. He then sequestered himself in his tiny apartment for more than a month, writing draft after draft until his viral manuscript was ready for compilation and distribution.


    Like all good, passionate writing, Gokar is largely autobiographical. Vallor used various characters, the registry key for instance, from his real life:


    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurre ntVersionRun] "Karen" = "karen.exe"

  4. Re:That stinks... by Morosoph · · Score: 3, Funny

    Of course, you could write an operating system, and then sell security for it.

    --
    Wikileaks, no DNS
  5. I'm disappointed by anticypher · · Score: 2, Funny

    I just RTFA, and there wasn't one mention of bone saws, power drills, or plastic explosives. How else would one get into the mind of a virus writer?

    The only acceptable process for getting into the mind of a virus writer should be both irreversable and serve as a warning to others.

    the AC

    --
    Hemos is like...sci-fi fans;he thinks technology is cool, but he hasn't bothered to understand the science it's based on
  6. Inside the mind... by hikerhat · · Score: 2, Funny

    Looks pretty darn empty in there.

  7. Re:That stinks... by BrainP1L07 · · Score: 2, Funny
    ...that stinks of "create a problem, then sell the solution"
    So what? Isn'it just the new MS business plan?
    --
    "Take away our PlayStations
    And we're a third-world nation"
    A.D.
  8. Re:That stinks... by slavemowgli · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yeah, but you can't compare virus writers to M$. Virus writers have *some* ethics at least. ;)

    --
    quidquid latine dictum sit altum videtur.
  9. Inside the mind of a virus writer... by slashname3 · · Score: 3, Funny

    I was hoping they had a bunch of them with their skulls cracked open.....