 Saturday, 25. January 2003
Concerns Raised as Virus Writers Publish E-Zine
A group of hackers described as "prolific" virus writers by one analyst has published its first e-zine, raising concerns that the portal will fuel a new wave of malicious code and virus variants. According to security intelligence firm iDEFENSE, hackers who call themselves GEDZAC, or Zoneavirus, recently published the 'zine, titled Mitosis, which contains source code for a dozen viruses and tips, such as how to avoid detection by antivirus software. Ken Dunham, a senior intelligence analyst at iDEFENSE, says the fact that the group is organized enough to publish the 'zine is significant. "Most malicious coding groups fall apart or fail to progress to that level," Dunham says.
Dunham says the code will "invariably be used by a script-kiddie or individual learning how to create malicious code," likely resulting in faster development of new variants and "powerful blended threats." The new 'zine joins a growing list of publications, such as 2600 and Phrack, written for and by the hacker community. "The point to recognize is that the hacker community is more organized than most people realize," says Jon Ramsey, head of development at SecureWorks, a network intrusion detection and monitoring firm. Others see value for security professionals in the 'zines. "It's a classic tradeoff," says Ed Skoudis, VP of security strategy at consulting firm Predictive Systems. "They spread ideas among the bad guys and the not-so-elite bad guys, but they also let us good guys know what they're up to. All in all, it's kind of valuable."
[Securitynewsportal]
http://www.infosecuritymag.com/2003/jan/digest23.shtml#news4
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