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Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Leo Simpson, B.Bus. Editor Greg Swain, B.Sc.(Hons.) PUBLISHER'S LETTER Technical Staff John Clarke, B.E.(Elec.) Robert Flynn Darren Yates Reader Services Ann Jenkinson Sharon Macdonald Sales & Marketing Mgr. Sharon Lightner Phone (02) 979 5644 Mobile phone (018) 28 5532 Regular Contributors Brendan Akhurst Jennifer Bonnitcha, B.A. Garry Cratt, VK2YBX Marque Crozman John Hill Jim Lawler, MTETIA Bryan Maher, M.E., B.Sc. Jim Yalden, VK2YGY Bob Young Photography Stuart Bryce Editorial Advisory Panel Philip Watson, MIREE, VK2ZPW Norman Marks Steve Payor, B.Sc., B.E. SILICON CHIP is published 12 time$ a year by Silicon Chip Publications Pty Ltd. A.C.N. 003 205 490. All material copyright©. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Printing: Magazine Printers Pty Ltd, Alexandria, NSW; Macquarie Print, Dubbo, NSW. Distribution: Network Distribution Company. Subscription rates: $42 per year in Australia. For overseas rates, see the subscription page in this issue. Liability: Devices or circuits described in SILICON CHIP may be covered by patents. SILICON CHIP disclaims any liability for the infringement of such patents by the manufacturing or selling of any such equipment. Editorial & advertising offices: Unit 1a/77-79 Bassett Street, Mona Vale, NSW 2103. Postal address: PO Box 139, Collaroy Beach, NSW 2097. Phone (02) 979 5644. Fax (02) 979 6503. ISSN 1030-2662 2 SILICON CHIP The dangers of computer viruses Several years ago , when reports of computer viruses first began to appear in the media, I did not take them too seriously. Of course, I could see that the philosophy was inherently correct - any large population of complex organisms such as animals or plants, in close contact with each other, is always ripe for exploitation by an opportunist organism such as a predator, parasite, bacteria, virus or whatever. That is why the human population is so vulnerable to viruses - there are huge numbers of us and because of international travel, any new virus can go around the world in a matter of months. For computers, the situation is very similar. There are now tens of millions of computers around the world and because they are in close contact with one another, via modems, bulletin boards and software swapping, computer viruses can go around the world and infect very large numbers of computers in a matter of weeks or even days. No computer can be regarded as safe. In our offices, we have already had several occasions when we have detected viruses, once in new software which had been sent to us in a review package. Most recently though, one of our machines "caught" the Michelangelo virus and the reason was that it happened a few days before we had obtained the latest virus scanning software. As I write this, on February 25th, it is possible that millions of computers have been infected by this latest piece of devilry. What I want to know is this: what do the authors of these nasty little programs think they are doing? Their germ-like creations can lead to untold data being lost in computers and millions of man-hours in retrieving it. They could also lead to very large losses in some companies with the result that they may go out of business and throw all their employees out of work. When you think about it, computer viruses are little more than economic sabotage. If an insurance company or bank is ultimately infected, it could have disastrous affects on the economy of any country. Think about the billions of dollars locked up in superannuation funds and you will see what I mean. In my opinion, anyone who creates or knowingly passes on a computer virus is a criminal. The ramifications of computer viruses are extremely serious and there seems little doubt that sooner or later, a computer virus will cause a disaster. In the meantime, be on your guard as much as you can. Make backups regularly, keep up to date with anti-virus software and be wary of bulletin boards and pirate copies of software. Leo Simpson