Computer Virus-  Are Their Days Numbered?

February 1, 2006

Evan Shir, a Tel Aviv University doctoral student, began his work on this project in August 2003. “I understood very early that the old antivirus concept was wrong. It tries to protect the individual computer by purging the offending virus from its brain,” he said.“But to identify the virus and then compose a program that can neutralize it, takes too long; by that time, the virus has infected the whole network. So I wanted to protect the network by taking advantage of the connectiveness of the Internet. The need to respond to cyber-attacks in real time has spurred our efforts to create artificial immune systems that could autonomously identify viruses and develop immunization agents.”

“Our solution involves the installation of a special program as a ‘sentinel at the gate’ to quickly receive messages on new viruses, and when it arrives, the sentinel will know in real time not to allow it in.” Shir predicted that as a result, the computer virus will enter a “tolerable phase” in a year or so.

His virus protection program will work for all computers––PC’s, Macs, and so on. Shir said the final program may take more than a year to complete, and he is committed to mapping the routine infrastructure of the Internet. He does this with the help of thousands of volunteers in more than 80 countries including––Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, and many other Arab countries. Shir hopes to expand the international network of consultants and Internet friendly people, who already contribute to the research and application. To join the adventure, visit www.netdimes.org Join the army of supporters who are investing their time and energy to complete a project, which will have great benefit to the computer population throughout the world.

By Ron Ross, Israel Mosaic Radio Host. To hear the radio interview, click here https://www.bridgesforpeace.com/h2n.php?fn=MP3Audio/bfpaudio.html

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