Linux Viruses and Such

• Malware Timeline (cont'd)

• Sept. 29, 1996: Bliss. First Linux virus. Third party posted it to Usenet groups comp.security.unix, alt.comp.virus and comp.os.linux.misc. ELF infector. Most courteous virus ever: Included “--bliss-uninfect-files-please” option. Can be compiled for any *ix variant.

• Dishonest McAfee press release of Feb. 5, 1997 claimed to have “discovered” Bliss.

• Oct. 1996: Staog by “Quantum” of the VLAD virus group in Australia (published in VLAD Magazine issue #7). Often claimed in error to be the first Linux virus, because of a Feb. 5, 1997 Bliss “sighting” on linux-security mailing list that many mistakenly believed to be its first appearance. Staog probed for buffer overflow vulnerabilities in mount and tip, and a bug in suidperl, to try to gain root access.

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