> I think it could be possible to write some tool which puts > itself in the first code resource, puts every old code resources > one behind, and when it's called, it reaarange all pointers etc. > to call the real PilotMain after it has done its spreading to all > other appl databases on the device.
This is indeed possible - but it doesn't have to be that complicated. The virus could simply append itself at the end of the "code 1" resource and patch the entry point so that, at launch time, control is transferred to the stuff appended at the end. That stuff does its thing (e.g., infects other applications), then resores the entry point and transfers control to it via a jump. Another way is to store the contents of the "code 1" resource into another resource and replace it with the code of the virus. Then, runtime, the virus creates a temporary database (but with the hidden attribute set), copies there all the other resources, copies the renamed original code resource under the proper name, launches that temporary database, and, when the PilotMain of that application returns, deletes the temporary database. These are just a couple of trivial examples; much more sophisticated stuff is possible. > Fine. But, maybe two or three times per year, I go and share some > data with another Palm user. Let's say a usual user does it 10 > times per year. Means, the virus should either need a different > way to propagate or needs to wait several years for day x. But, I > think, people will replace there devices after 3 or 4 years? So what? Are you going to throw away everything that was on the old PDA? Or are you going to transfer it to the new one? Remember, meanwhile the virus has infected all applications there and, during HotSync, these infected applications have ended up in the Backup directory of your PC. If you just HotSync the new PDA with that PC (provided that you use the same user name), the virus (all instances of it) will be copied to your new PDA too. > Hm, what can a virus on Palm OS harm me? A virus on Palm OS can do *anything* that is doable programmatically on Palm OS. Ask yourself this question - if you give your PDA to a malicious person and you give him full control of the PDA, what can that malicious person do to harm you? Well, the same things can be done by using a virus as a proxy. Some trivial examples include: stealing your contact addresses (in order to spam them), stealing your private records, introducing minor random changes in your data (e.g., changing a number in a spreadsheet), etc. > Henk (who thinks it needs an hacker to write a virus and an hacker > to write the virus protection) :-). Oh, I quite agree. I do consider myself a hacker - in the old-fashioned, good sense of "trying to extract the most of your computer" not in the way the media uses it to label people who break into other people's computers. Regards, Vesselin -- For information on using the Palm Developer Forums, or to unsubscribe, please see http://www.palmos.com/dev/support/forums/
