1993
[Back to index] [Comments (0)]Throughout 1993, PC computer viruses continued to make their presence felt at Edinburgh University. Last years review revolved around what generalisations could be drawn about PC viruses using the apparently random sample which were identified here. The following areas of reference were used: date of origin, country of origin, classification, payload and aliases. I concluded then that most infections were caused by common viruses from a variety of countries, which incorporated similar techniques in respect of their infection mechanisms and their payloads. Most had acquired several aliases and may destroy data either through careless programming or by design. (Scobie, 1993) This years review will compare the new sample along similar lines, in order to see whether such generalisations continue to provide a useful framework for the study of this phenomenon and whether this conclusion is valid for the latest influx of viruses.