What are fast and slow infectors?
A typical file infector (such as the Jerusalem) copies itself to memory when a program infected by it is executed, and then infects other programs when they are executed. A FAST infector is a virus which, when it is active in memory, infects not only programs which are executed, but even those which are merely opened. The result is that if such a virus is in memory, running a scanner or integrity checker can result in all (or at least many) programs becoming infected all at once. Examples are the Dark Avenger and the Frodo viruses. The term “SLOW infector” is sometimes used for a virus which, if it is active in memory, infects only files as they are modified (or created). The purpose is to fool people who use integrity checkers into thinking that the modification reported by the integrity checker is due solely to legitimate reasons. An example is the Darth Vader virus.
A typical file infector (such as the Jerusalem) copies itself to memory when a program infected by it is executed, and then infects other programs when they are executed. A FAST infector is a virus that, when it is active in memory, infects not only programs which are executed, but even those that are merely opened. The result is that if such a virus is in memory, running a scanner or integrity checker can result in all (or at least many) programs becoming infected. Examples are the Dark Avenger and the Frodo viruses. The term “SLOW infector” is sometimes used to refer to a virus that only infect files as they are modified or as they are created. The purpose is to fool people who use integrity checkers into thinking that modifications reported by their integrity checker are due solely to legitimate reasons. An example is the Darth Vader virus.
