Re: VIRUS Alert for the LIST

The 400 is most definitely vulnerable to a virus.  Forget the IFS and
all that stuff.  The main thing that protects the 400 is that most shops
do not load any executables from unknown sources.  Also most shops do
not move executables from one system to another.  But how hard would it
be to put in some malicious code into some shareware for the 400.  It
would be very easy to set up a jobq entry that does a pwrdwnsys at 3:00
am for example.  

Almost all viruses/worms need some sort of code to be executed to embed
/ replicate themselves.  But don't think that it would be impossible to
exploit weak security on an as400 to write viruses.

As a matter of fact if you are reading this e-mail on a computer that is
also running client access a virus could easily modify your system,
using whatever privs you have, through API's

just open this nice holiday greeting card ...... NOT !!


John Hall
Home Sales Co.

David Gibbs wrote:
> 
> At 06:56 PM 12/26/99 , you wrote:
> >The IFS is part of the AS/400 isn't it?   Can we tell users to back up
> >their PC files to the AS/400 and assure them that their data is safe from
> >viral infection or destruction?  If so, #1-I am amazed,  #2-IBM has missed
> >a wonderful marketing advantage.
> 
> No, a file on the IFS is *NOT* immune from viral infection ... Functionally
> the AS/400 is immune from the effects of a virus, due to it's architecture,
> but a PC file is still a PC file.  There's nothing inherent in the AS/400
> to protect an IFS file from infection.  In short: The AS/400 is actually
> quite vulnerable to viruses ... but it can only carry the problem, not be
> affected by it.
> 
> I always recommend a good, well known, anti virus package with active
> scanning regardless of where the files are being stored.  Norton & McAffee
> are the ones I suggest.
> 
> david
> 
> --
+---
| This is the Midrange System Mailing List!
| To submit a new message, send your mail to MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com.
| To subscribe to this list send email to MIDRANGE-L-SUB@midrange.com.
| To unsubscribe from this list send email to MIDRANGE-L-UNSUB@midrange.com.
| Questions should be directed to the list owner/operator: david@midrange.com
+---