The Impact of Computer Viruses on Society, Hacking and IT E-Book Dump Release
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act of Co
outer Viruses o
Society
Dr. Jimming
L,in
Faculty
of
Administration
University of Ottawa
Ottawa, Ontario KlN 6N5, Canada
Dr. Chia-Hao Chang
Department of Industrial and
System Engineering
University of Michigan-Dearborn
Dearborn, MI, USA 48128
Managerial Perspective
Computer viruses have
recently drawn a lot of
attention because of some
spectacularexamples
of their power of disruption. This paperdis-
cusses
the impact of computer viruses on
differ-
ent sectors of
the society. Four important
perspectives of society will be discussed
here:
The implications of the computer virus growth
are
especially important for management
information
systems (MIS). Management is
becoming more aware of
the security consid-
erations and internal
policies
of
the firm. In
order to prevent system
contamination, em-
ployees should be warned not to use
any
unchecked
programs. The MIS management
should set more straightforward
policies and
the repercussions
of not abiding by them.
Similarly,
any software used in the office
should
remain there and no place else.
This is
to safeguard
against possible infections that
could occur
outside of the office
environment.
The focus of most policies will be on
prevent-
ing external
intrusions rather than
internal
threats
simply forthe sake of
reducing
external
dangers.
The managerial perspective
1.
The users' perspective
2.
The manufacturers'
perspective
3.
The security specialists' perspective
4.
Brief
Overview
A virus is a program that can
infect other pro-
grams by
modifying them to include a
possibly
evolved copy of itself
. With its infection prop-
erty, a virus can
spread throughout a
computer
system
or network using the
authorization of
every user to inflict
his/her own programs
.
Every
program that gets infected
may in turn act
as a
virus and thus start an
endless cycle.
This
ability to reproduce itself
combined with
the
numerous
points of
interconnection in today's
computer systems
makes it spread
like AIDS.
Management should
also emphasize better
education
and training of
its workers. It might
be
worthwhile to expose them
to virus attack
simulations
during their training
period. This
9
Computers & Society,
Vol. 19, No.
4 - December 1989
which computer
viruses
operate
. The test
way for users to protect against viruses
and
other personal computing hazards is through
education. Users require good knowledge of
DOS to realize the seriousness of the problem
and to understand the risk involved when
those DOS-related problems arise. Common
sense and a healthy dose of caution will go a
long way towards protection against viruses.
will dramatize the importance of security
issues by showing how all the valuable data,
programs and even
hardware
of the users can
be tapped by a virus. The computer virus, as a
training tool, would help users understand the
dangers inherent in program and data ex-
change.
Although
the control mechanisms are impor-
tant, management should not overreact to the
virus threat and thus suffocate end users'
innovations. The manager must strike a bal-
ance between the benefits of information
exchange and the isolation of computer sys-
tems.
The immediate effect
on
users of
the new
cautious
environment
is putting an
end to the
uninhibited program swapping that made the
early days of the computer revolution so
excit-
ing. Just as
the threat of
AIDS has
made
people
become
cautious of casual sexual be-
havior, the computer virus may also restrain
the development of software pirating.
Users' Perspective
The impact of
computer
viruses upon the users
could be severe. The initial impact may be a
trend towards software development that is
bulletproofrather than user friendly. With
more complex
software,
me result could be a
longer learning curve for new users.
Manufacturers'
Perspective
Besides the development of vaccines and
antidotes, the software manufacturers may see
the computer virus as a potential marketing
tool. By providing
warranties
or guarantees to
the
purchaser against the existence of viruses
in their software, they believe
that they can
eradicate the pirates and copycat vendors who
are cannibalizing their markets.
The interchange of
programs on "Bulletin
Boards" is also affected by the virus epidemic.
This cheap source of new programs has dried
up as
name
and name people become con-
cerned with potential contamination. A
similar decline has taken place
in second-hand
or borrowed software as the "fortress mental-
ly" sets in.
Vicious software developers may use viruses
as a selective predator,
targeting only software
or
hardware
sold by specific vendors. With
the rapid spread of
PC-to-mainframe linkages,
those malicious
developers
may
use viruses to
attack
competitors without leaving a trace.
With the decline of borrowed or pirated
software, there is a sign of growth in the sales
of programs at some reputable, safe retail
outlets. People seem to be
willing to trade
some cost for an increased sense of security
with their programs.
As manufacturers
grapple with the threats and
opportunities posed by computer viruses,
they
must also deal
with the plethora of legal
ramifications that
will eventually follow.
Users
may protect themselves by fully
under-
standing their equipment and the process
by
Computers & Society, Vol.
19, No. 4 - December 1989
10
Co
er Security Specialists' Perspective
this opens up a new field of legal repercus-
sions and costs for the company.
The growing need for computer security
specialists is predictable. Consultants may
earn enviable income by telling corporate
computer users how to protect their machines
from catastrophic failure and how to use
antidote and vaccine products .
Conclusion
This paper has considered each stakeholder in
the
computer
industry who may have an
interest in the activities of computer viruses.
Managers will have to compromise between
innovation and control. Users may have to be
more cautious of software pirating. Manufac-
turers must recognize the opportunities and
threats of computer viruses as a
marketing
weapon. Security specialists face a never
ending battle against virus creators trying to
overcome their security measures, antidotes
and
vaccines
. These arejust a few of the
impacts that can be expected on the computer
industry. For
the computer society, the com-
puter virus has become a fact of life.
The computer specialists
will be in
a
never
ending game with each other. As they de-
velop
preventive vaccines and administer the
viral antidotes, the viral breeders will also be
developing
new viruses to overcome the new
security measures.
The
phenomenon
will be
exactly the same
as the situation in disk copy
and protection in the past few years.
The problems of
computer security specialists
are compounded by the existence of fake
antidotes . These antidotes appear
to cure the
program but in
fact implant a new virus.
Recently, a more dangerous retrovirus has
emerged to give
security personnel real head-
aches. The retrovirus remains
even after the
computer
memory has been erased.
References
Cohen, F., 1984, "Computer
Viruses: Theory
and Experiment", University of
Southern
California, July.
Rather than contracting a
Germany company
to build a gas
plant, it is much easire for
terrorist groups to hire a computer
specialist to
build
virus programs that will attack
airplanes,
banks and national
defense. Computer spe-
cialists, especially those who
develop the
military
system, should be very
carefully
screened.
Elmer-Dewitt, Philip, 1988,
"Computer
Viruses",
Time Magazine,
September 26.
Dvorak, J.C.,
1988, "Virus Wars Ahead", PC
Magazine,
November 15, 1988, p.
71 .
Finch, J.H. and Dougall,
E.G., 1984. Com-
puter Security: A Global Challenge,
Elsevier
Science Publishers, Amsterdam
.
Some terrorists
blackmail victims by
inserting
a
"time bomb" virus into a
system and then
demand
payment. The
emergence of virus
hoaxes should appear
shortly, as
malicious
pranksters phone
in with threats of
viruses.
Since
the use of viruses is
difficult to
prove,
Hadler,
E., 1982. Computer
Security
Hand-
book,
Brandon
Publishing, New
York, New
York.
Computers &
Society, Vol
.
19,
No. 4 -
December 1989
King, S
., 1988, "Computer Viruses : Detection
and Vaccination", CGA
Magazine, October.
Ludlow, R., 1988, "Electronic Epidemic:
Computer Viruses
Can Put Whole Networks
Under the Weather", The Ottawa
Citizen,
November 5,
p. 1-2.
Computers
S! Society, Vol.
19, No. 4 - December
1989
12
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