MaS is about computer security, malware and spam issues in general.

2008/04/22

Virus calendar


Gosh, what a blast from the past. Way, way back in the annals of time it was actually possible to analyze malware (OK, viruses mainly) well enough to know all trigger dates of their payloads. So, I thought I'd create a virus calendar. I think the first was created for the year 1990 or 1991 for the Virus Test Center so that we'd have something fun to show at expos like CeBIT. Then I got a commission to create one (and later another one) for perComp Verlag which they dug up recently and posted on their site for the years 1992 and 1993. While the 1992 version was mainly my work, I think I only contributed data and ideas to the 1993 version. Apparently some people in Germany still show excerpts of these calendars in presentations, though I shudder to think why. I think S&S International Ltd, UK also created a few calendars based on their own data and graphics, but after 1995 it became impossible to analyze all known viruses and even if it was possible, it would have been one crowded calendar!
This is one rare moment, where I was able to do something graphical in the context of computer security.
I think when I get back home, I'll dig out the original and scan that in, too!