Sample virus targets Windows and Linux

by admin April 8, 2006 at 3:47 am

Virus writers have crafted another example of malicious software that can infect computers running Windows or Linux.

The proof-of-concept was submitted to Russian antivirus company Kaspersky Lab, which calls it Bi.a. The virus was written in low-level computer code called “assembler” and is limited, as it only infects files in the current directory, Kaspersky said Friday on its Web site. However, it can infect files in the different formats used by Linux and Windows–ELF and PE, respectively, Kaspersky said.

The virus is a classic proof-of-concept, written to show that it’s possible to create a cross-platform virus, Kaspersky said. “However, our experience shows that once proof-of-concept code is released, virus writers are usually quick to take the code and adapt it for their own use,” Kaspersky said.

Read more: CNET News.com