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Computer Archeology: Exploring the Anatomy of an MS-DOS Virus
Unveiling a highly idiosyncratic 1990s hackers’ malware creation time capsule, along with an analysis of their intuitive anticipation of modern programming techniques …
Thanks to an encounter by chance with two casual middle aged gentlemen at the Communication Convention Center (C3) »Mitte« early one morning and convincing them that their story deserved documentation, I had them unveil a highly idiosyncratic hacker’s time capsule, transporting me back to the world of 1990s malware. Books and magazines were their main source of knowledge […] The story begins in the early 1990s, with both in their late teens, living in a small town in western Germany, a place devoid of adults versed in computing. Finally a mix of virtualization, vintage hardware and specialized adapters for modern computers enabled the successful recovery of the virus’ source codes, even preserving the original files’ timestamps!
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