Blog: Solutions for America
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Fighting Internet Viruses Effectively
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I have no anti-virus software. I have no
viruses. I get a virus sent to me every few days. I never
open live dangerous programs such as exe, scr, pif or bat files in
attachments unless I asked for them from trusted publishers.
Epidemiology teaches that the spread of a virus is a
function of its multiply rate and its ease of transfer from host to victim.
Fewer Email Addresses
The multiply rate is determined by the email addresses contained in the host, the infected user's computer. Most of the email addresses carried by the host are old addresses that can be removed from the email address files and stored in encrypted files. These files can be decrypted by the user if s/he needs an old address. More current email addresses can also be kept in one-way encrypted form that can be decrypted with a three character key that would be easy for the user but would be a delay for a virus program. Incoming email addresses should not be automatically saved. Rather the user should mark the address for saving by checking a box on the incoming email. Fewer email addresses would cut down the multiply rate.
Now, to cut the ease of transfer from host to victim at
the host:
We have to give up some convenience for the benefit of the
internet community. That convenience is instant opening of exe, scr, pif
or bat attachments. Microsoft, Netscape, AOL and Eudora should change
the email reading programs to eliminate instant opening of exe, scr, pif or
bat attachments.
Trigger Locks for Files
Before the attached files could be saved, the email user
would be asked If the user wants to open the active file s/he can go to the file and double click on it. The probability of activating the dangerous file would be substantially reduced. Similar to trigger locks, file first and then open doesn't deny use of the file it reduces the likelihood of whim activation/propagation.
Friction Between the Host and the Victims
Consider the analogy of the ventilation systems in
hospitals. Many hospitals put germ killing ultraviolet light in their
ventilation systems. We can do the same for computer viruses.
Most of spam and viruses pass through internet routers
provided by Cisco Systems. We know that the FBI can read mail as it
passes through the routers. It should be possible to scan mail for
suspicious exe, scr, pif or bat attachments.
Attachments that meet virus criteria would be removed from the email and sequestered in a file attached to the router. In the place of the suspicious attachment would be attached a text file containing a notice of sequestering. Users may request the sequestered files buy clicking on an embedded URL, and they will be sent without question to the user with the email address of the original attachment. The percentage of email users who request the sequestered files, which were removed from mail sent by anonymous senders, would be very small. The inconvenience of requesting a desired attachment would be minimal.
This anti-epidemic system will hurt very few people by some
inconvenience but will protect millions of individuals and businesses.
Clifford Lazar
Lazar Developments 9/2/03 |