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Informative Speech Goal COMPUTER VIRUSES AND “FALSE AUTHORITY SYNDROME” 4TH EDITION © 1995,97 ROB ROSENBERGER; ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. INTERNET E-MAIL: [email protected] WORLD WIDE WEB: http://www.kumite.com/myths ABSTRACT......................................................................................................................................................................1 Copyright notice & distribution policies ..................................................................................................................1 Author Biography .....................................................................................................................................................2 FALSE AUTHORITY SYNDROME.......................................................................................................................................3 Virus pseudo-experts.................................................................................................................................................4 Computer security experts ........................................................................................................................................5 Computer repairmen.................................................................................................................................................6 Magazines, newspapers, TV......................................................................................................................................7 The “Green Paint Factor”...................................................................................................................................8 John Q. Public ..........................................................................................................................................................9 Implications of False Authority Syndrome................................................................................................................9 Conclusion ..............................................................................................................................................................10 SIDEBAR STORIES .........................................................................................................................................................12 False “virus alerts” on major online services........................................................................................................12 Employee fired when his computer DIDN’T have a virus ......................................................................................13 Antivirus firm calls an old program a “new” Trojan horse ...................................................................................13 The worldwide Michelangelo virus scare of 1992..................................................................................................14 False Authority Syndrome vs. the Communications Decency Act...........................................................................16 BIBLIOGRAPHY.............................................................................................................................................................17 Terms, acronyms, abbreviations .............................................................................................................................19 ABSTRACT Many people in the computer field sound confident when they talk about computer viruses — yet very few have adequate knowledge of this technically obscure subject. Most fall prey to what some virus experts call “False Authority Syndrome,” and it contributes significantly to the spread of fear & myths about computer viruses. I will persuade readers to question the credentials of anybody (myself included!) who claims to speak with authority on this subject. This treatise deals with virus issues related to the IBM PC family of computers, but its main thrust about False Authority Syndrome spans all computing platforms. Readers need at least a basic grasp of viruses, networks, BBSs, and online services like CompuServe. It will also help if readers understand the basics of a “boot sector” and know about the Michelangelo computer vi- rus scare of 1992. (You’ll find sidebar stories on these topics if you need them.) COPYRIGHT NOTICE & DISTRIBUTION POLICIES © 1995,97 Rob Rosenberger; all rights reserved. You may give electronic copies of this treatise to anyone if you pass it along unmodified and in its entirety. Antivirus vendors and book authors may bundle electronic copies with their products as a public service. Please feel free to add links from your web site to http://www.kumite.com/myths (the Computer Virus Myths home page). Printed publications may reprint this treatise in its original English, in whole or in part, at no charge if they give due credit to the author. Please obtain the latest edition of this treatise at COMPUTER VIRUSES AND “FALSE AUTHORITY SYNDROME” http://www.kumite.com/myths (the Computer Virus Myths home page) on the World Wide Web. Submit one copy of your publication to P.O. Box 1115, O’Fallon, IL 62269. (Fax-based publica- tions may fax a copy to 618-632-2339.) Please send e-mail to [email protected] for language translation requests: a translation may already exist. All product & company names mentioned are the [registered] trademarks of their respective owners. The mention of a product or company does not in itself constitute an endorsement. AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY ROB ROSENBERGER is an internationally recognized expert on computer virus myths & hoaxes. He has consulted on virus/security books written by Janet Endrijonas, Pamela Kane, and Richard B. Levin. Rosenberger also serves as a consultant on computer virus issues to PC Magazine technical editor Neil Rubenking. Rosenberger’s credentials include a critically acclaimed 1988 treatise on computer virus myths which has appeared in over 230 books & publications around the world in four official transla- tions. [Plus at least two unauthorized translations: Hebrew & Arabic versions surfaced during “Operation Desert Storm.”] U.S. Defense Department point papers cite Rosenberger’s treatise on virus myths as a bibliographic source. Rosenberger made news in 1992 when he predicted “only 10,000 hits total, worldwide” during the Michelangelo virus scare. Newswire reports claimed at least five million computers would lose their data; some reports put the figure as high as 15 million computers in the U.S. alone. His research into global media hysteria surrounding the virus appeared as a front-page analysis article in ISPNews, a computer security industry publication. Rosenberger starred in a “Computer Survival Series” video about viruses and has written or co- authored a number of related articles for U.S. & British magazines. He now runs the “Computer Virus Myths home page” (http://www.kumite.com/myths) accessible via the World Wide Web. Completely unrelated to his computer virus credentials, Rosenberger has authored three books & a video about the “shareware” concept and has written on the subject for numerous magazines. He served a term on the board of directors for the non-profit Association of Shareware Profes- sionals and currently serves as sysop for the Association’s official headquarters on CompuServe. Rosenberger lectures around the country about shareware and has consulted on books written by David D. Busch, Michael Callahan, and John C. Dvorak. Rosenberger lectures around the country on the topics of computer viruses, Borland program- ming languages, and the shareware concept. His speaking highlights include: National Academy of Sciences Computer Working Group (1989) American Chemical Society Convention, Lead Speaker, Software Track (1989) PC-EXPO CHICAGO panelist (1993) Shareware Industry Conference panelist and moderator (1991-96) TH A TREATISE BY ROB ROSENBERGER — 4 EDITION — PAGE #2 OF 19 COMPUTER VIRUSES AND “FALSE AUTHORITY SYNDROME” FALSE AUTHORITY SYNDROME TRUE STORY. A couple of years ago I dropped by the Software Etc. store in Fairview Heights, Illinois just to browse. Another customer had come in before me and told an employee about a problem with his video monitor. The employee warned the customer he had contracted a newly discovered computer virus, which he proceeded to describe in great detail. I interrupted the employee. “Sir, you have it completely wrong. That virus doesn’t exist. It’s the latest hoax.” “Oh, no,” the employee replied. “We’ve got e-mail reports from our sales headquarters telling us to keep our eyes open for it.” To which I countered, “Some upper-tier sales manager has been duped and is telling you BS. McAfee Associates1 and others have issued public statements dismissing that virus as a hoax. What you’ve described simply cannot be done by any virus. Period.” I then turned my attention to the customer. “Stop listening to this guy. You don’t have this magical virus he’s describing because it simply doesn’t exist. You have some other problem with your video monitor.” What credentials did this salesman hold in the field of What credentials does this computer viruses? He may have flipped hamburgers at a salesman hold in the field of McDonald’s restaurant two weeks earlier for all we know. Right now he sells merchandise at a computer computer viruses? He may store — does this qualify him to give advice about com- have flipped burgers at a puter viruses? McDonald’s restaurant two MOST PEOPLE WHO claim to speak with authority about weeks ago for all we know. computer viruses have little or no genuine expertise.
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