Soviet program can protect computers against viruses

09.03.2004, 15.37

MOSCOW, March 9 (Itar-Tass) – Russian scientists believe that the
Security Programme for computers, created in Soviet times, can protect
computers against viruses almost totally, Boris Babayan, corresponding
member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, director of the Institute
of Microprocessor Computer Systems, told Itar-Tass on Tuesday.

According to Babayan, most of the computer viruses existing today
attack the ` weak areas’ of the software and penetrate the computers
through so-called ` holes’ in the operational systems. In the opinion
of Babayan, `the principle on which the Security Programme is based is
rather simple.’ When the programme detects the virus-infected file and
establishes the type of the virus, it blocks at once the whole of the
file. So, Babayan continued, `the virus can no longer spread inside
the computer, much less penetrate Internet.’ At the same time, `the
Security Programme neither reduces the working speed of the computer,
nor overloads its memory.’

Babayan believes the effective introduction of the Security Programme
is impossible without its adaptation to the modern operational
systems, like Windows, Mackintosh etc. `Some ten billion dollars are
needed for its introduction, but the expenditures are a trifle in
comparison with the damage, inflicted by numerous viruses spread in
Internet,’ he said.

Experts are of the opinion, that some 700 types of viruses are now
spread in Internet. Each virus has several versions. Some 20 viruses
are especially dangerous, including MyDoom, Bagle and
Nelsky. According to the estimates, the damage inflicted by MyDoom
alone has reached 36 billion dollars.