Who creates viruses?
By Timofey Saytarly
Date: May 30, 2003
According to researches, the most destructive and prejudicial viruses are Klez and Love Bug (Love Letter). So, virus Klez has caused the harm of $8 and $9,9 billion^; Love Bug (Love Letter) - $7,8 - $9,6 billion^; Code Red $2,4 - $2,9 billion.
Viruses are known well, but "virus-makers" are not. According to Sarah Gordon from Symantec the generalized nature of virus-makers is the following. They are men of 13-26 years, rather clever or overwhelmed with desire of self-assertion and to become members of certain society^; as a rule they are encouraged with revenge, sociopolitical motives, desire to show weakness of technologies, and just with mere curiosity. As a rule, such "virus-maker" creates viruses not with the purpose of causing harm, but to be in "advance of technologies ".
Often "virus-makers" do not aim to do harm to someone intentionally^; they dispatch viruses as "experiment". They do not realize that damage which is done by their "creations" and do not understand that they became initiators of lots of problems. Frequently they are estranged from a real life and live in own illusory world.
Sarah Gordon thinks that even toughening legislation cannot stop "virus-makers". Interrogation has shown that "virus-makers" would not refuse the business even knowing about criminal prosecution for virus distribution.
Sarah Gordon doesn't consider virus-makers as hackers. Hackers aspire to get the control over computer systems, virus-makers only send a virus by e-mail.
"Virus-makers" believe they do something "cool" and high-end. But actually it is not so. Computer viruses are rather simple programs and it is not necessary to have profound knowledge for virus-making. And at the age of 24-25 years most of them understand it, lose interest and give up this business.
Computer Crime Research Center
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