40th Anniversary of the Computer Virus

Orome1 writes "This year marks the 40th anniversary of Creeper, the world's first computer virus. From Creeper to Stuxnet, the last four decades saw the number of malware instances boom from 1,300 in 1990, to 50,000 in 2000, to over 200 million in 2010. Besides sheer quantity, viruses, which were originally used as academic proofs of concept, quickly turned into geek pranks, then evolved into cybercriminal tools. By 2005, the virus scene had been monetized, and virtually all viruses were developed with the sole purpose of making money via more or less complex business models."

Comments

100,000 unique pieces of Malware identified...

[Atroxodisse]

each and every day.

Re:No problem for me.

[somersault]

You also apparently have an MS wireless keyboard!

Core War

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm too young (alive in 1971, but only a kid) to remember Creeper, but I remember Core War in the early 1980s, a game inspired by Creeper and Reaper. The programs written for Core War were the conceptual ancestors of the modern virus, competing in Darwinian fashion to destroy each other and take over the system's core memory. Different coding strategies were involved, such as writing a program to be self-repairing vs. keeping it simple and small enough to evade detection vs. brute force offense and defense be damned, etc. All perfectly harmless... but I can't help wondering how many 1980s virus coders learned some of their craft from Core War.

Something wonderful has happened

[andrewa]

Your AMIGA is alive !!!

Virus Control Improvements

[Traiano]

In 2006 or so I went to a conference in Redmond (WinHEC, I believe) where one of Microsoft's security team managers presented and overview of the virus threat to the desktop market. One of the things Microsoft had recently learned is that the majority of exploits were coming from hackers that had reverse engineered Windows patches to identify where Microsoft was correcting buffer overflow issues. Based on that knowledge, hackers knew un-patched versions of Windows could be exploited.

The strategy at MSFT became somewhat simple at that point: minimize the time between a security update's release and its application on 100% of networked computers. The presenter could show that MSFT had brought this average time down from months to weeks back then. Its clear to me that Microsoft has continued to make gains in this space over the years.

Lastly, the presenter showed that the exact same process applied to Linux. Few hackers find vulnerabilities to poring through an entire operating system's code base. They reverse-engineer patches and then hunt for un-patched systems. Microsoft claimed to be ahead of Linux in their ability to mass-apply security patches and he showed results that a Linux honeypot would be compromised slightly quicker that Windows, although not significantly so. I found the author credible in his data but recognize that he had an agenda with his presentation.

Re:Virus Control Improvements

[hairyfeet]

Look it is actually very simple why Windows gets more bugs. Most bugs are made by criminals, and criminals like most predators are naturally lazy. they want to get as much as they can for as little work as they can. They target Windows because as someone who actually works on the things 6 days a week I can tell you that is where the stupid people are by a loooong shot.

Doesn't make Windows bad, I have machines that have been running nearly a decade with no bugs, just retired my Win2K after a decade bug free, etc. but for every person like me that follows best practices you probably have 100,000 that will blindly click on anything, never read a EULA, will happily click through any UAC or virus warning, as long as you offer them something they want, or spook them.

Most of the bugs I see, and I usually get to see them all, but a good 90% of the infections that cross my desk can be divided into TWO categories. The "ZOMG! U got teh viruz ZOMG! Run this "is_not_bugz.exe" to kill teh viruz ded! ZOMG!" or the "Want to watch this hot porn FOR FREE? Well you can! All you have to do is load our "is_not_bugz_iz_codec.exe" to see the hot action NOW!"

In both of those cases the vaunted Linux security would do exactly jack and squat since the user is actively helping the malware and as long as the user has the right to install then there is nothing you can do. Repos wouldn't help because they would ignore you for the malware writer, an AV can only do so much if the user is working against it. Frankly MSFT could develop the perfect security model tomorrow and as long as Sally Dipshit is allowed to install and Horny Hank Hugeass is willing to ignore all warnings to get a chance at free titties? You're still fucked.

So just be glad you're a niche Linux guys, because look at all the bugs coming out for Android. Where goes the masses goes the stupid and the bugs along with them. All you can do is give them "the look" and keep them off your PCs.

Re:Virus Control Improvements

[hairyfeet]

Look, you want to see me blow through your famous Linux security like shit through a goose? Well here you go tada! Using the exact same tricks as they use on Windows and as simple as opening an email attachment (sound familiar?) I can royally fuck your Linux OS. Send spam, alter files, set myself up to autostart. Gee, doesn't this sound like Windows?

The ONLY reason you don't see malware writers using this trick (which BTW they have in the past, look up "KDE theme virus" to see for yourself) is because you have to have basic computer and problem solving skills because Linux is a PITA as a desktop so you have to know how to trawl forums for fixes, use CLI to install and fix driver issues, etc. The fact that you have to learn and understand at least a basic understanding of Linux (or have an admin with said knowledge) means the odds of getting enough infections to be worth the work is rather slim.

To use an old quote you rob banks because that is where the money is and if you want to build a 200,000 strong botnet you don't go to the OS that has less than the margin for error marketshare to start and with more geeks and CS grads than Sally Clueless users to boot. it is simple numbers my friend, or are you one of those that says the reason Macs with the vaunted BSD security fall first on pwn2own is that people would risk losing a 10,000 prize just to win a $2300 Macbook?

The ONLY reason Linux isn't an infected mess is social engineering like I pointed out above which works 100% on Linux needs clueless users to work and there are less of those to go around. I'd say wait until you get the numbers but with all the infighting and factionalism of the community I doubt you'll get past 4% anyway, sorry. But as Android gets popular and drags in the clueless you WILL see more infections, mark my words. If the target is juicy the malware writers WILL hit it and despite all the "Linux runs the web" BS the simple fact is you get better bandwidth for longer by pwning home connections since they don't monitor their connections like server admins do.

Re:Celebration

[cosm]

I mean when you actually watch some of these people, blinding pounding the next [sic]

I know most users are dolts, but I thought that was an old wives tale!

What a pointless piece...!

[Anonymous Coward]

This is a typical puff piece by an ignorant reporter. Why didn't they ask a real virus researcher about some of the most influential viruses? Where is there no comment about BRAIN, the first international-spread virus which invented the boot-sector infection path? Why no mention of the amazing prevalence of FORM, which constituted about 1/3 of all infections in the world at its height? Why is there nothing about CONCEPT, the Microsoft-written virus which ushered in the era of high-level language macro viruses?

Why are the only viruses mentioned ones which there has been some public fuss about? I know - because the author knows nothing about this arcane technical subject, but hasn't let that get in the way of writing 500 words....

Lets start with a better list

[devent]

An article about the history of computer viruses that mentions Microsoft, Windows or IIS only 7 times? Lets start with a better list (thank you Wikipedia):

* Michelangelo: The virus was designed to infect DOS systems
* Melissa: It can spread on word processors Microsoft Word 97 and Word 2000 and also Microsoft Excel 97, 2000 and 2003. It can mass-mail itself from e-mail client Microsoft Outlook 97 or Outlook 98.
* I LOVE YOU: is a computer worm that successfully attacked tens of millions of Windows computers in 2000
* Code Red: 359,000 Microsoft's IIS web server.
* Sasser: running [on] vulnerable versions of the Microsoft operating systems Windows XP and Windows 2000
* Zotob: [runs on] Microsoft operating systems like Windows 2000,
* Storm botnet: The botnet, or zombie network, comprises computers running Microsoft Windows as their operating system, with the Storm worm at one point accounting for 8% of all malware on Microsoft Windows computers.
* Koobface: is designed to infect Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X, but also works on Linux (in a limited fashion)
* Conficker: targeting the Microsoft Windows operating system, with more than seven million government, business and home computers in over 200 countries now under its control.
* Stuxnet: is a Windows computer worm discovered in July 2010 that targets industrial software and equipment. Iran 62,867; Indonesia 13,336; India 6,552; United States 2,913;Australia 2,436;United Kingdom 1,038;Malaysia 1,013;Pakistan 993, all Windows.

What’s next? Are you kidding me? More Windows infected machines, more spam and more attacks on governments and industry that are stupid enough to pay for this system.

Re:400 years of genetically altered nazi mutant ru

[Hal_Porter]

Don't be homonymphobic.

Semi-related topic

[RogueWarrior65]

The Cuckoo's Egg is a great book on hacker hunting.
http://www.amazon.com/Cuckoos-Egg-Tracking-Computer-Espionage/dp/1416507787/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1300160625&sr=1-1

Re:Celebration

[hairyfeet]

Hi Cosm! Sadly I wish that it was, but as someone who has been in the repair biz since Win3.x it is all too true. hell I'll give you a perfect example of why social engineering works: I had a customer with me sitting right exactly there telling her specifically "Do NOT open that password protected zip and run it, it is a virus!" and got told "Oh you're just paranoid, see the name? My BFF Kim sent this to me! Kim wouldn't do that!" and so she ignored me AND the AV which was practically trying to hurl itself between her and the bug and did EXACTLY what I told her not to and promptly pwned her own machine.

So sadly my friend I can state with 100% certainty it is NOT a myth or old wives tale, it is all too real. Look up the top 10 list of malware by installation and then look to see how they infect and you'll find a good 8 out of 10 if not 10 out of 10 rely on the user to pwn themselves by ignoring best practices, ignoring the EULA, never reading anything, and just blindly clicking next to continue.

The latest nasty going around is the "Security tool" variant which is installed on MILLIONS of machines and which I see at least 3 times a week, all done using the "ZOMG! u got teh bugz! Install 'is_not-viruz.exe" to kill it ZOMG!" and that damned thing is installed on millions of PCs using that lame BS tactic. No shit. Sad but true my friend, sad but true. And Linux security wouldn't do a damned thing, in fact here is How to write a Linux virus in 5 easy steps using the same tricks and it WILL work because so many refuse to think.