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Posts: 1,808 | Thanked: 4,272 times | Joined on Feb 2011 @ Germany
#39
Originally Posted by TiagoTiago View Post
If someone was intent on making a working cross platform Python virus, i would expect it should be just a matter of adding a few conditional switches to execute the different infection approaches depending on which system it is running on (and to give it a polish, check the effectiveness and try different approaches when the most commonly successful one for the system in question fails; and of course before the actual attack on the OS spread a bunch of modified and obfuscated copies as backup in case the original one gets caught)
Yes, but this still leaves you with the problem of getting your virus executed on the system.

Windows, and Windows programs, have a tendency to execute anything that looks like it could be executed (see autorun, Word macros, Outlook, IE, ...).

Linux, and linux programs, tend to execute only what is meant to be executed. Unfortunately with the Windows-ification of Linux (modern Linux'es seem to be only concentrated in imitating Windows features, including its flaws) it may well happen that a text editor might decide to execute a script ("it appears that you are editing a bash script, shall I execute it for you?"), not to mention "sophisticated" e-mail programs, etc.

In any case, going back to the thread title. A "virus" for the N900 would be very easy to make, especially in view of the number of people who install just about anything from extras-devel or even random .deb's they find.

Luckily Maemo is not a widespread platform, and most people around here are either nice guys or not competent enough to write a simple program. Which is a good thing in this case
 

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