A description of any technique that uses "unanticipated" file formats and/or E-mail headers to interfere with anti-virus software. The interference can be a simple nuisance or, worse, cause the anti-virus software to do something it isn't supposed to (e.g., shut down a server). Since the anti-virus software runs at a very low level in the system, any errors it may generate could propagate up through the system and maybe even shut it down. One simple example might be a zero-length .COM file. At one time such a file would have hung some anti-virus software and if that software were running on a server, would have hung the server as well and required a server restart. This is more than just a nuisance. This isn't new; it was highlighted in a ZDNet News article back in August 1999 and has been known for some time before that. Rob Rosenberg, editor at VMyths.com , has been discussing this topic for some time as well. |
