Virus Creation Laboratory
 VCL Title Screen in Windows Vista | |
| Developer(s) | Nowhere Man |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 1.0
/ July 5, 1992 |
| Operating system | MS-DOS |
| Type | Virus creation |
| License | Freeware |
The Virus Creation Laboratory (VCL) was one of the earliest attempts to provide a virus creation tool so that individuals with little to no programming expertise could mass-create computer viruses.[1] VCL required a password for access, which was widely published alongside VCL. The password was "Chiba City",[2] a likely reference to the William Gibson novel Neuromancer.
A hacker dubbed "Nowhere Man", of the NuKE hacker group, released the software in July 1992.[3][4]
However, it was later discovered that viruses created with the Virus Creation Laboratory were often ineffective, as many anti-virus programs of the day caught them easily. Also, many viruses created by the program did not work at all - and often, their source codes could not be compiled, thus rendering the virus program created unusable.[5] Despite its limitations, several viruses created with the program became widespread.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ Wang, Wallace (2006). Steal this Computer Book 4.0: What They Won't Tell You About the Internet. No Starch Press. pp. 74–75. ISBN 9781593271053.
- ^ God@rky (1996). "God@rky's Virus Heaven Newsletter #1". Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ Ethical Hacking and Countermeasures: Threats and Defense Mechanisms. Cengage Learning. 2016. p. 74. ISBN 9781337015639.
- ^ Susan Watts (August 16, 1992). "Nowhere Man offers computer virus revenge". Independent.co.uk. UK. Event occurs at 23:02 BST. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
- ^ "VCL.716 Description". Threat Descriptions. F-Secure. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ Szőr, Péter (25 March 2005). "Advanced Code Evolution Techniques and Computer Virus Generator Kits". The Art of Computer Virus Research and Defense. Addison-Wesley Professional. ISBN 978-0-321-30454-4.