Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Intel Corporation (INTC) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Robert O who wrote (176951)	2/8/2004 3:25:28 PM
From: Lizzie Tudor	Respond to of 186894

not really OT? Great but long article on computer viruses, who writes them and why. Mostly software although the usual suspects wintel are mentioned. Here's the gotcha. Why are all the virus writers men? There are certainly plenty of alienated smart women in the world. The Virus Underground Computer experts called 2003 ''the Year of the Worm.'' The virus community attracts a lot of smart but alienated young men, libertarian types who are often flummoxed by the social nuances of life. ''I am a social reject,'' admitted Vorgon (as he called himself), a virus writer in Toronto with whom I exchanged messages one night in an online chat channel. He studied computer science in college but couldn't find a computer job after sending out 400 resumes. With ''no friends, not much family'' and no girlfriend for years, he became depressed. --- When Mario is bored -- and out here in the countryside, surrounded by soaring snowcapped mountains and little else, he's bored a lot -- he likes to sit at his laptop and create computer viruses and worms. Online, he goes by the name Second Part to Hell, and he has written more than 150 examples of what computer experts call ''malware'': --- Benny, Czech Republic. 21-year-old master of malware and member of the international virus-writing group 29A. --- Stephen Mathieson, Detroit. The 16-year-old virus writer is dismissive of hackers who release other people's viruses: "The kids just cut and paste." --- This time the F.B.I. tracked the release to Jeffrey Lee Parson, an 18-year-old in Minnesota who had found, slightly altered and re-released the Blaster code nytimes.com