[1786] in java-interest
RE: Netscape/Java -- press inquiry
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Chuck McManis)
Sat Sep 16 23:44:02 1995
Date: Sat, 16 Sep 1995 02:30:30 -0700
From: cmcmanis@scndprsn.Eng.Sun.COM (Chuck McManis)
To: java-interest@java.Eng.Sun.COM, nyu@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca
> Egads!!... more multi-platform virii....
Because you can write a virus in the macro language of Word has little
to no bearing on doing the same with Java.
> Hmm.. the first multi-platform virus and it was written in BASIC of all =
> languages.
> Shows how portable it is... :-)
Correct, BASIC is an unsafe language and the macro version of it worse
still.
> Java 'applets' IMHO are nice toys, but they just might be as hated as =
> Netscape's <BACKGROUND> or <BLINK>
Virii are non-issues. Any virus requires that it be able to propagate,
the only class that can write files is FileOutputStream and it won't
let you propagate a virus.
I encourage you to use Java/HotJava and attempt to write a file on your
system with an applet you load from the network. If you are successful
tell me how you did it and how it might add a vulnerability. I also
encourage you to read the source (the source is available for "free").
Unless you have a concrete bug and or a credible vulnerability analysis
I respectfully ask that you refrain from speculating that Java would
some how be a mechanism for bypassing system security or creating a
virus.
--Chuck McManis
Java team
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