home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- VID - Virus Information Door - Online User Documentation
- --------------------------------------------------------
-
- Once the user has entered the VID system, the virus database is initialized.
- Once this has occurred succesfully, the user will then be placed at the VID
- main menu.
-
- ** Note that periodically, VID will perform a "VID Integrity Check", which
- quickly examines the datafiles to ensure that they have not been altered.
- This check only happens periodically, and only takes a second or two.
-
- VID always keeps track of the "current" virus. When in browse mode, the
- majority of options available are specifically applied to the current
- virus. However, we have made additions to the main menu, to allow a few of
- these options in more of a "global" scope.
-
- ** NOTE **
-
- The virus names in VID are now "color-coded" for recognition purposes. If
- the virus is an "original" piece, it's name will appear in WHITE, whereas
- variants will appear in MAGENTA. This feature (of course) is only available
- to ANSI users, and not ASCII/TTY users.
-
- From the main menu:
-
- [L]ist Viruses
- ----------------
-
- By pressing "N", the user will be presented with the entire database of
- virus names, one per line, one screen at a time. At the end of each screen
- of names, the user will have the option of continuing the listing process,
- or quitting back to the main menu. he will have the option of beginning the
- list from either the top of the database, or the current virus record. The
- virus names are color-coded, as described above.
-
- Search by [V]ariants
- --------------------
-
- By pressing "V", the user will be asked for a virus name (full or partial).
- If VID cannot locate a virus by that name, he will try and find the closest
- match (by name). After the virus has been located, VID will perform a
- search across the database, to attempt to locate any variants of this virus.
- VID color codes apply to this search, and in fact, add a bit of flavor to it.
- For instance:
-
- If the user entered "1226" as the virus name, VID would reply with
- something like:
-
- Searcing for variants for: 1226
- ───────────────────────────────
-
- #0039 - 1226
- #0040 - 1226-B
- #0041 - 1226-B Dropper
- #0042 - 1226-D
- #0043 - 1226-M
- ^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
- │ │
- │ └──────────── Virus Name
- └── Record Number
-
- The first entry above (record #0039, 1226) would appear in WHITE, since
- it is the "base" virus for this small group, or family. The remainder
- of the virus names would appear in MAGENTA (actually, light magenta), to
- indicate that these particular entries are "variants" of the virus which
- appeared in WHITE (in this case, the original 1226 virus).
-
- Search by Be[H]avior
- ------------------
-
- By pressing "H", the user can perform a behavior query across the database.
- This is very similar to the behavioral searching in previous versions of
- VID, with the exception of a few new fields. VID will prompt the user
- with 13 different questions, i.e. Does the virus infect .COM files?, etc.
- The user has three (3) possible responses to each question:
-
- Y - yes
- N - No
- I - Ignore this question
-
- If a question is "ignored" then the field is not used in the search. By
- combining the above three possible question answers, powerful searches can
- be performed across the database.
-
- The following questions are asked by VID when performing a behavior query:
-
- 1) Does the virus infect .COM files?
- 2) Does the virus infect .EXE files?
- 3) Does the virus infect .SYS files?
- 4) Does the virus infect Boot Sectors?
- 5) Does the virus infect Floppy Boot Sectors?
- 6) Does the virus go memory resident?
- 7) Is the virus parasitic (non-overwriting)?
- 8) Is the virus a spawning or "companion" virus?
- 9) Does the virus manipulate DOS FAT tables?
- 10) Does the virus infect partition tables?
- 11) Does the virus infect directory entries (i.e. DIR-2 virus)
- 12) Does the virus display "stealth" characteristics?
-
- After all questions have been answered, VID will then perform the query, and
- display the results.
-
- Search by [O]rigin
- ------------------
-
- By pressing "O", the user can perform a search based on the origin of
- computer viruses. i.e. Bulgaria, United States, California, etc. If the
- full name is not known, partial answers are allowed. Note that the search
- is not linear! As long as the string the user enters appears anywhere in
- the origin of the virus (not necessarily the first x amount of letters),
- then the score will score a hit.
-
- The database record number, virus name, and complete virus origin will be
- displayed for each virus which scores a hit in the query.
-
- Search by [N]ame
- ----------------
-
- By pressing "N", the user can perform a search based on the namne of the
- computer virus. i.e. Dark Avenger, Jerusalem, etc. If the full name is not
- known, partial answers are allowed.
-
- VID will then place the user in "browse" mode, and placed at the record that
- best matches the search name.
-
- [J]ump to Record #
- ------------------
-
- This option allows the user to jump to a specific record number in the
- database. VID will use the record number as the "current" virus. This is
- a quick way of jumping to a specific virus record, if you know the record
- number.
-
- [B]rowse Database
- -----------------
-
- This option will place the user into "browse" mode, and will place him
- in the database at the current record. From the browse system, the user
- can do several things:
-
- [+] - Next Record
- [-] - Previous Record
- [F] - First Record
- [L] - Last Record
- [V] - Variant Search (same as main menu)
- [C] - Comments (Additional/Extended Information)
- [D] - Detection (Shows all known AV products which detect this virus)
- [Q] - Quit to main menu
-
- ** Note that the [C]omments option will present some basic information about
- the virus when running in VIDLite mode. If VID detects the presence of the
- VID+ module, then additional detailed information will be presented to the
- user, if it is available.
-
- Search for [T]ext
- -----------------
-
- This option will allow you to search for a text string across the virus
- database. Simply enter the text string to search for when prompted, and
- all viruses which contain the entered text in the extended comments will
- be listed.
-
- ** NOTE ** - This feature only works with the VID+ module, as it contains
- the extended descriptions of each virus.
-
- [R]elationships
- ---------------
-
- This option will present a submenu of virus "families". To view the
- relationship tree for a particular family, simply enter the corresponding
- menu selection key, and the relationship tree will be shown.
-
- [U]user Documentation
- ---------------------
-
- Views this documentation!
-
- [P]age the sysop
- ----------------
-
- Pages the sysop for a chat!
-
-
- [Q]uit VID
- ----------
-
- Quits VID and returns control to the BBS.
-
-
- - EOF -
-
-
-