Re: [OT] Viruses under OS/2 (was: Re: buying a thinkpad without microsoft)

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From: Aryeh Goretsky (goretsky_at_adelphia.net)
Date: Wed Oct 16 2002 - 05:31:02 EDT

Hello,

I don't necessarily think so. Neither Windows NT or Windows 2000
allow applications to directly access the hardware, but these
systems are still vulnerable to computer viruses.

Bear in mind the majority of viruses these days do not programs
written in assembly language and spread by directly accessing the
hardware or file system but are written in languages run through an
interpreter such as Microsoft Windows Scripting Host or the Office
macro language.

Perhaps it is a good thing Microsoft never followed through with
updates for Microsoft Office for OS/2, otherwise OS/2 would be
vulnerable to the same security holes in these applications.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

At 12:16 PM 10/14/2002 -0400, you wrote:
>In-Reply-To: <5.1.1.5.2.20021013172032.00bb0dc0_at_pop.abs.adelphia.net>
>Date: Sun, 13 Oct 2002 21:21:04 -0400
>From: <letoured_at_together.net>
>To: thinkpad_at_cs.utk.edu
>Subject: Re: [OT] Viruses under OS/2 (was: Re: buying a thinkpad without
>microsoft)
>Message-Id: <E180tvX-0004KW-00_at_blount.mail.mindspring.net>
>
>In <5.1.1.5.2.20021013172032.00bb0dc0_at_pop.abs.adelphia.net>, on 10/13/02
> at 05:32 PM, Aryeh Goretsky <goretsky_at_adelphia.net> said:
>
> >Hello,
>
>
> >There is a practical application for anti-virus software under OS/2, even if
> >the virus itself cannot run under the operating system:
>
> >Most boot sector and master boot record viruses are capable of infecting a
> >system running OS/2 regardless of the file system (FAT, HPFS, and so
> forth).
> >This is because these areas of the hard disk are loaded after the BIOS
> >finishes its POST in order to load the rest of the operating system. Many
> >DOS- and 16-bit Windows-based file-infecting viruses will work under OS/2 as
> >well inside a DOS or Windows 3.1 session.
>
>No. You are thinking about how M$ designs its junkware. -- DOS and Windows
>programs running under OS2, are not permitted direct access to the hardware.
>
>
> >Also, keep in mind that even if a virus is not running in OS/2 it is
> >certainly possible to pass one along to a computer capable of running it via
> >disk or online file transfer.
>
> >Regards,
>
> >Aryeh Goretsky

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