Press Release
August 28, 2001
Fighting Malicious Mobile Code--O'Reilly Author Provides an Edge in the War Against Rogue Technology
Sebastopol, CA--Contrast the experience of spying, then deleting or
otherwise disarming a virus-infected attachment in your email with the
feeling that accompanies the discovery that a remote access Trojan has
invaded your hard drive and ground your computer to a halt. The first
brings a secret thrill of victory, while the second leaves you feeling
violated and powerless. The truth is that malicious mobile code can be
destructive, causing hours of lost time, lost data and enormous
inconvenience to the recipient of the code. Nor is the prevalence of
malicious mobile code diminishing. According to Roger Grimes, author of
Malicious Mobile Code:
Virus Protection for Windows (O'Reilly, US
$39.95), it is a technical war. The idea that someone could write
malicious code and spread it to 60 million computers in a matter of
hours is no longer a fantasy.
"Some antivirus companies are cataloging 200-400 new malicious programs
a month, with some vendors saying their products now catch over 54,000
different bugs," says Grimes. "If the general public knew what was
possible, they might not want to get on the Internet. There are
automated malicious programs, bots, and scripts, all designed to fight
it out with the good guys. They look for weaknesses in control and then
automate the attack."
Malicious mobile code is destructive self-replicating code, such as a
virus or worm that is loaded onto a computer without the user's
knowledge and runs against the user's wishes. Even a simple virus can
quickly use all available memory and bring a system to a standstill.
Grimes, who has been fighting malicious mobile code in many forms since
1987, provides information to help system administrators and users
understand the issues of malicious mobile code on Windows systems.
"The rapid pace of malicious mobile code is starting to make
conventional antivirus protection tools ineffective," says Grimes.
"Everything is now connected to the Internet and new technologies make
it easier than ever to send rogue code."
The good news is that there are effective ways to thwart Windows
malicious code attacks. Malicious Mobile Code:
Virus Protection for Windows offers chapters on each of the different
types of "rogue" codes filled with comprehensive information on each type of
attack, including how the attack works, how to recognize symptoms of the
attack, and how to protect your system. Grimes covers viruses, Trojans
and worms, ActiveX and Java exploits, DOS viruses, Macro viruses,
browser-based exploits, email attacks and instant messaging attacks.
In addition to covering the various types of malicious mobile code,
Grimes provides insight into the current state of malicious code
writing and the cracker community. For those who wonder about what type
of person would write malicious mobile code and why, Grimes presents a
detailed picture of the very active virus-writing subculture and what
motivates it.
Malicious Mobile Code:
Virus Protection for Windows was written for
intermediate and advanced level personal computer users, as well as
network administrators who are interested in protecting Windows-based
computer assets against malicious mobile code. Drawing on his extensive
experience and research, Grimes details the best ways to configure
Windows for maximum protection, what a DOS virus can and can't do, what
today's biggest threats are, and other important and frequently
surprising information. Users everywhere will find Malicious Mobile
Code to be the essential guide for securing a system from catastrophic
loss.
Online Resources:
Malicious Mobile Code:
Virus Protection for Windows
By Roger A. Grimes
August 2001
ISBN 1-56592-682-X, 522 pages, $39.95 (US)
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
About O'Reilly
O'Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O'Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying "faint signals" from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.
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