Thread: Viruses

  1. #1
    Registered User Queatrix's Avatar
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    Viruses

    I just don't get, when I first started programming, I thought it would be neat to put some kind or virus on somones computer if I got the change once I new how, but now that I know plenty how, it's the last thing I want to do. I guess the only reason I wanted to in the begginging is becuase it was still new to me and I thought the concept was "cool". I just don't get why there are SO MANY virus makers, they are everywhere. Spyware I can understand, to a point, you know, where you gotta get in and get out without being noticed (still kind of a fun idea), but even then, it's risky and just plain wrong. And CA, McAffy, AVG, Norton, ect, are making a killing on the "infectious internet".

  2. #2
    Lurking whiteflags's Avatar
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    > I just don't get [it]
    You just stated the reason. Because you know more, you also know that most computers are quite secure, which brings us to the conclusion: being an awesome black-hat hacker is difficult. No surprise.

  3. #3
    Registered User Queatrix's Avatar
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    Still, making a virus and infecting someone with it, is no benifit to the infector.
    Only to the Anti-Virus companys.

  4. #4
    Lurking whiteflags's Avatar
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    If all your source code, photos, and music were gone thanks to a virus I'd think that you'd feel pretty bad about it. If your ISP account was hacked and you helped spread some worm or something, you'd feel pretty bad then too. Not to mention you have a responsibility to protect your identity. Some people are just pricks and aren't after something valuable, like money. No, reputations and egos are at stake -- sometimes, committing the act feels good enough, I'm sure.

  5. #5
    Deathray Engineer MacGyver's Avatar
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    The dark side of programming is always wrongly glorified, and their people are always protrayed as the smartest and brightest programmers the world has to offer. There is nothing wonderful about trying to cause massive damage to people's computers for absolutely no rational reason, and the smartest and brightest people will not be doing such things.

    No matter what the type of "bad software" people make, whether it is anywhere from writing cheats for games to attempting to spread a world-wide worm that slows and takes down many computers, the basic problem is a lack of morality that many people have when it comes to programming and life in general. Just because it may feel "cool" to do something does not mean that it should be done. As with any knowledge, it should never be abused. For whatever reason, perhaps because the Internet seems so abstract, many people do not seem to realize the consequence of these decisions when they attempt to write and spread viruses.

    Be thankful that you do not wish to participate in those same actions.

  6. #6
    Slave MadCow257's Avatar
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    Its in our nature. I can't tell you that I haven't thought about making some malicious software a couple of times, especially at school.

    There are also alot of people that just don't care.
    I'm suprised that there hasn't been a really bad virus.

    Viruses used to be in the news in like 2005, has security gotten better?

  7. #7
    Registered User Queatrix's Avatar
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    I wrote a key logger once that discuised it's self as a trusted program so it could get through firewalls, and it worked great too. However, I'm glad I never deployed it. And now I lost the code, it's still floating around some where in my archives though.

  8. #8
    Yah. Morgul's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MacGyver View Post
    No matter what the type of "bad software" people make, whether it is anywhere from writing cheats for games to attempting to spread a world-wide worm that slows and takes down many computers, the basic problem is a lack of morality that many people have when it comes to programming and life in general.
    "God is dead!"

    The basic problem is a lack of regard for ethical behaviour. Morals are based on religion and I'm guessing you didn't mean to say that in the Bible (or other religious document or whatever depending upon one's religious views) that it states something along the lines of: "You Shall Not Write Viruses That Destroy The Computers Of Others".
    Sic vis pacum para bellum. If you want peace, prepare for war.

  9. #9
    For Narnia! Sentral's Avatar
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    Who cares why people do malicious things. Just know that it exists, and you can never stop or protect yourself against it fully.
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  10. #10
    aoeuhtns
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    Quote Originally Posted by Morgul View Post
    "God is dead!"

    The basic problem is a lack of regard for ethical behaviour. Morals are based on religion and I'm guessing you didn't mean to say that in the Bible (or other religious document or whatever depending upon one's religious views) that it states something along the lines of: "You Shall Not Write Viruses That Destroy The Computers Of Others".
    No, 'moral' and 'ethical' are synonyms. I'm not a fan of arguing over definitions of things, but to make a distinction between morals and ethics is silly, and it's something philosophers just don't do. Your contention that morals are based on religion is in complete ignorance of reality. Just look at the world around you. Your belief that the Bible doesn't imply that writing viruses is immoral is also insane.
    There are 10 types of people in this world, those who cringed when reading the beginning of this sentence and those who salivated to how superior they are for understanding something as simple as binary.

  11. #11
    Deathray Engineer MacGyver's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rashakil Fol View Post
    No, 'moral' and 'ethical' are synonyms. I'm not a fan of arguing over definitions of things, but to make a distinction between morals and ethics is silly, and it's something philosophers just don't do. Your contention that morals are based on religion is in complete ignorance of reality. Just look at the world around you. Your belief that the Bible doesn't imply that writing viruses is immoral is also insane.
    Agreed, albeit one could argue that if morality is defined by religion, then everyone does, in some form, have a religious persuasion.

    But well said.
    Last edited by MacGyver; 04-02-2007 at 01:57 PM.

  12. #12
    Lean Mean Coding Machine KONI's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rashakil Fol View Post
    No, 'moral' and 'ethical' are synonyms. I'm not a fan of arguing over definitions of things, but to make a distinction between morals and ethics is silly, and it's something philosophers just don't do. Your contention that morals are based on religion is in complete ignorance of reality. Just look at the world around you. Your belief that the Bible doesn't imply that writing viruses is immoral is also insane.
    My girlfriend, who is currently writing her final diploma work for her Philosophy major, would strongly disagree. Philosophers make a HUGE fuzz about the difference between ethic and moral, which mean two different things.

    And your idea that moral is based on religion is indeed silly, the perfect counter-example is Kant's Categorical Imperative, a well-known philosophical concept about moral.

  13. #13
    Yah. Morgul's Avatar
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    I have always heard that here is a big difference between ethics and morals.

    I was making a reference to Nietzsche, and in fact quoting him at the beginning there. I was then going on to make a joke based upon the idea that morals come from religion, I didn't realize that it was a point of contention where morals come from. I didn't say that the Bible doesn't infer that making viruses are wrong, I was saying (joking-ly) that it doesn't explicitly say it.

    You completely missed what I was trying to say. Perhaps all jokes should be labeled with something along the lines of "[/sarcasm]" at the end or the like even if the author thinks that said joke was obvious. I'll try to remember to do that in the future, though I don't post often.

    Or you were in a bad mood and wanted to pick an intellectual fight with someone but missed a key philosophical reference which had to do with my basis for saying that morals come from religion. Maybe.
    Sic vis pacum para bellum. If you want peace, prepare for war.

  14. #14
    Deathray Engineer MacGyver's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by KONI View Post
    My girlfriend, who is currently writing her final diploma work for her Philosophy major, would strongly disagree. Philosophers make a HUGE fuzz about the difference between ethic and moral, which mean two different things.
    I asked someone I personally know who studied philosophy and they said that philosophers generally treat ethics and morals as the same.

    Rather interesting. I'll have to check the subject out again, but regardless, it is neither moral nor ethical to spread viruses to cause damage for no rational reason.

  15. #15
    The superhaterodyne twomers's Avatar
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    >> I thought it would be neat to put some kind or virus on somones computer if I got the change

    You're lucky precrime hasn't been invented yet

    You're a bad person

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