A Proof-of-Concept Virus for iPods Running Linux

An anonymous reader writes "Although antivirus companies will probably create a hype saying that iPods are prone to infections, a virus called 'Podloso' is a newly found virus that is just a proof of concept code that can infect iPods running Linux. Once launched, the virus scans the device's hard disk and infects all executable .elf format files. Any attempt to launch these files will cause the virus to display a message on the screen which says, 'You are infected with Oslo the first iPodLinux Virus.'"

Re:Thank Goodness

[operato]

for the fun of it and because they can. that's what happens when you give people choice. surely the matrix taught you that.

Re:Thank Goodness

[J0nne]

It's for the same reason people install Linux on their iPods in the first place: because they can.

Question

[Rogerborg]

What is the intersection between people who're smart enough to have installed Linux on their iPods, and people stupid enough to run a random executable?

Would anyone in that set like to make themselves known? Anyone? Don't be shy; anyone at all?

Didn't think so.

What exactly is the point of this article?

[Anonymous Coward]

"A Proof-of-Concept Virus for iPods Running Linux"

a) It's not a virus.*
b) It's not iPod-specific, it could run on other Linuces as well.
c) The method isn't Linux-specific, would work on almost any OS.
So what we have here is, a proof of what concept exactly?

* Granted, that on all currently popular OS's any executable you launch can touch all the files you yourself can, is in itself a big WTF. But we know that, so we don't launch untrusted executables.

Whatever happened to...

[grnrckt94]

...just creating viruses that actually did something useful, like making money? Why do people feel the need to be so destructive?

Re:Hear that?

[tomhudson]

You forgot - "then ou have to save the virus to the ipod"

The article goes on to say it can't propagate itself ... all it can do is corrupt files. That's not a virus.

Re:Thank Goodness

[CDarklock]

I used to run a moderately sized VX (virus exchange) board. There are three main reasons people write viruses.

1. Because they're fascinating. It was interesting to see what kind of things you could make a virus do. For people like this - which included me - the game was to write a virus that more effectively reproduced, evolved, and evaded detection in a smaller space. You can spot viruses written for this reason because THERE IS NO PAYLOAD. It doesn't break anything. It's an academic exercise. We DON'T CARE what it does. That's not the point.

2. Because they want money. This was a tiny little minority on my board, and to my knowledge none of them ever actually implemented anything; we just talked about "what if" scenarios. At the time, since the internet was not really a big thing for most people, there was very little a virus could do to deliver information elsewhere. Today, the world has changed, and everything is networked. We can talk to anyone anywhere at any time. And that means this group has simply exploded out of the criminal underworld.

3. Revenge/status. The vast majority of people on my board were people who wanted to give a virus to their ex-wife or to some guy in school who was mean yesterday. They think that if they give someone a virus it will "show them who's boss" or "everyone will think I'm so cool". This is childish and stupid.

The author of this virus is probably in the latter group.

Re:Whatever happened to...

[Anonymous Coward]

I think this raises the question of which group has larger numbers. Is it iPods with Linux on them or Zunes?