The good, the bad and the ugly
Can computer viruses ever be a force for progress?
IN THE wild west of the online world, the archetypal baddies are computer viruses and worms. These self-replicating programs are notorious for wreaking havoc in the systems of unwary users. But, as in the west, not all gunslingers wear black hats. Some virus writers wish their fellow users well, and have been spreading viruses that are designed to do good, not harm.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “The good, the bad and the ugly”
From the June 16th 2001 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Science & technology
Why carbon monoxide could appeal to the discerning doper
Professional cycling is debating whether to ban the poisonous gas
A sophisticated civilisation once flourished in the Amazon basin
How the Casarabe died out remains a mystery
Heritable Agriculture, a Google spinout, is bringing AI to crop breeding
By reducing the cost of breeding, the firm hopes to improve yields and other properties for an array of important crops
Could supersonic air travel make a comeback?
Boom Supersonic’s demonstrator jet exceeds Mach 1
Should you worry about microplastics?
Little is known about the effects on humans—but limiting exposure to them seems prudent
Wasps stole genes from viruses
That probably assisted their evolutionary diversification