Author:
Nikolai Gladychev
Affiliation:
Department of Computer Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
Keyword(s):
Computer Virus, Computability, Abstract Theory, Recursion Theorem, Companion Virus, Document Virus, Computer Virology.
Abstract:
Identifying new viral threats, and developing long term defences against current and future computer viruses, requires an understanding of their behaviour, structure and capabilities. This paper aims to advance this understanding by further developing the abstract theory of computer viruses. A method of providing abstract definitions for classes of viruses is presented in this paper, which addresses inadequacies of previous techniques. Formal definitions for some classes of viruses are then provided, which correspond to existing informal definitions. The use of the proposed method in studying the fundamental properties of computer viruses is discussed.