Reviews of "Computer Viruses" and "Communications Networks"
                         Copyright 1989 David Batterson


"Computer Viruses - What They Are, How They Work, and How To Avoid Them" by
Jonathan L. Mayo; Windcrest Books, 1989, 160pp., $29.95 (includes an anti-
viral utility disk)

"Communications Networks" by Michael F. Hordeski; TAB Professional and
Reference Books, 1989, 322 pp., $38.95 (hard cover only)

     The author of the shareware program Flu_Shot+, Ross Greenberg, was quoted
recently about computer viruses.  He said that there are more vaccine programs
out there than there are viruses!
     Most end users have never come across a computer virus, and wouldn't know
how to recognize one if they did.  Some consultants say that out of 20 cases of
a suspected virus, only one turns out to be real.  And that's probably an
exaggeration.
     Quite often whenever your PC crashes or other strange things happen, it is
due to software bugs, COM port conflicts, bad sectors in a floppy/hard disk,
improperly configured programs, printer glitches, and so forth.
     The author sets out to explain what a virus is, so that we can at least be
alert to the possibility of our PCs being infected.
     Earlier, nasty programs were the Trojans and logic bombs, sometimes
planted on BBSs, or in public domain/shareware software.  A virus goes one step
further, in that it can--like its biological counterpart--replicate itself,
spreading to other programs and through computer networks.  A similar
destructive program is a "worm," which destroys data in memory.
     The Pakistani-Brain virus is one of the most infamous viruses, along with
the virus unleashed by programmer Robert Morris over the UNIX-based network,
Internet, wreaking havoc on it.  Morris was indicted (under the Computer Fraud
and Abuse Act of 1986), and is awaiting trial at this writing.
     The Department of Defense, which cannot afford any invasion of its massive
computer network, has even formed a crack team of "virus busters" called the
Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT).
     Probably useful are the assortment of anti-viral programs and utilities
included with the book.  I say "probably" because how can you really judge if
they are effective if you have no real test scenario in which a virus tries to
invade your PC?
     I sure don't want to find some consultant who has located a virus program
and have him unleash it on my system to test the effectiveness of these
vaccines, do you?  So I'll have to take the word of the shareware authors that
their programs do offer some protection.
     But if you are paranoid about computer viruses, then this book and
assorted programs could alleviate your fears.
                                      ---
     If you think viruses are tricky, then try to tackle the complicated
subject of communications networks, including Local Area Networks, (LANs).
     "Communications Networks" is aimed primarily at consultants, managers of
information systems, programmers, and company PC analysts.  It is not light
reading, nor is it aimed at the typical end-user.
     After reading two chapters of this highly technical information, I felt
like that Pakistani-Brain virus had invaded my head, not my PC!
     However, others may go through the material like it's a Bugs Bunny comic
book.  It all depends on your computer knowledge and background.
     You'll learn about X.25 protocol, the X.400 message-handling standard, OSI
(Open Systems Interconnect) architecture, ISDN (Integrated Services Digital
Network), FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface), DACS (Digital Access and
Cross-Connect System), and VEPC (Voice-Excited Predictive Coding)!
     As the book jacket declares, "this book provides a timely, high-level
examination of the technical, managerial, and econimic (sic) issues surrounding
communications networks."  [I'm not sure what "econimic" is, though!]
     Author/consultant Michael Hordeski also explains current hardware and
software, network management, and future planning.
     For dealer information on these two books, contact TAB Books Inc., Blue
Ridge Summit, PA  17294-0850; 800-822-8138, 717-794-2191, fax: 717-794-2080.
                                       #
     David Batterson writes computer articles and reviews.  Contact him over
his favorite (virus-free) communications network, MCI Mail (DBATTERSON).