Re: Antivirus Programs for Openbsd

[Nick Holland <nick_(_at_)_holland-consulting_(_dot_)_net>]

Marius Van Deventer - Umzimkulu wrote:
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Dave Feustel [mailto:dfeustel_(_at_)_mindspring_(_dot_)_com]
>> Do these programs detect viruses that can actually infect Openbsd
>> or just viruses that won't affect Openbsd but can be passed on to
> infect
>> other (windows) operating systems?
> 
> The latter would be very interesting as a mail gateway methinks. 
> 
> On the other point: I am a BSD newbie, but a BSD virus sounds unlikely
> to me. The virus writer would have to trick Root into doing something
> stupid.

Unfortunately, this isn't as hard as one would hope.

Anyone else remember the "OpenSSH vulnerabilty demonstrator", put out
maybe a year or so ago, distributed in binary-only form, which insisted
that you run it as root, and would then insert a user into your system
password files, mail your external IP address, your passwd file, and
lots of other tidbits off to someone's e-mail address, and
printf("Exploit successful!\n"); at the end?  It wasn't technically a
virus, as it was spread ONLY by stupid people, saying, "Hey, check this
out!".  At least a few OpenBSD people tried it, though its proceedures
were a little "untuned" for OpenBSD, so the results were minimal.

Unfortunately, technology can never compensate for stupidity.  Just
because you run an OS that started very secure doesn't mean you get to
be stupid about it.  Or pretend that it can't happen, like the Mac users
who like to forget just where small computer viruses first became
epidemic...

Nick.
-- 
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