HP OpenVMS Systems

Ask the Wizard Questions

Security: Do we have a virus

The Question is:

Hi Wiz,
  Recently we discovered that some of our files had been
overwritten which should not have been.  The first thing
that pops into my mind is "Do we have a virus?"  How can
I check if we have a virus or not?  What Digital products
are available to recover from a virus?
                   Thanks,

The Answer is:

There are no known viruses in circulation for OpenVMS systems - the design of
OpenVMS makes the implementation and spread of viruses difficult.  Digital
does offer products that help detect and protect against accidental or
malicious modification of system images, including:

  POLYCENTER Security Intrusion Detector
  POLYCENTER Security Reporting Facility
  POLYCENTER Security Compliance Manager

Your overwritten files are more likely the result of a deliberate or
accidental action of a local user than a virus.