Scores was a

computer virus A computer virus is a type of computer program that, when executed, replicates itself by modifying other computer programs and inserting its own code. If this replication succeeds, the affected areas are then said to be "infected" with a compu ...

affecting

Macintosh The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and software en ...

machines. It was first discovered in Spring 1988. It was written by a disgruntled programmer and specifically attacks two applications that were under development at his former company. These programs were never released to the public.

Overview

Scores infects the System, Notepad, and Scrapbook files under

System 6 System 6 (or System Software 6) is a graphical user interface-based operating system for Macintosh computers, made by Apple Computer It was released in 1988, and is part of the classic Mac OS series. It is a monolithic operating system, with coop ...

and

System 7 System 7, codenamed "Big Bang", and also known as Mac OS 7, is a graphical user interface-based operating system for Macintosh computers and is part of the classic Mac OS series of operating systems. It was introduced on May 13, 1991, by Apple Co ...

. There is a simple way to identify infection. Normal Notepad and Scrapbook icons will have specific icons under System 7, or little Macintosh icons under System 6. If the icons are blank document icons, it is a good indication the system is infected. Scores begins to spread to other applications two days after infection. The

Finder Finder may refer to: * Finder (surname) * Finder (software), part of the Apple Macintosh operating system * ''Finder'' (comics), a comic book series by Carla Speed McNeil * ''Finder'' (novel), a 1994 novel by Emma Bull * Finder Wyvernspur, a fi ...

and DA Handler often become infected as well. The second payload, activated after 4 days, will start causing crashes if programs with the ERIC or VULT signatures are run. Both signatures are found on programs written by Electronic Data Systems of Plano, Texas. If a program from the company is run, the virus will crash the system after 25 minutes. The third payload activates after 7 days, and will actively try to stop programs with the VULT signature from writing to disk. If no write to disks happen within 10 minutes, the virus will crash the system. The alleged author of the virus was questioned by the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

(FBI) soon after the virus was discovered. There were no federal laws with which to charge the author, so they remain free to this day. This loophole resulted in the "Computer Virus Eradication Act of 1988".

References

* Norstad, John. The Viruses. Disinfectant 3.7.1, 1988-1997

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Chart ...

* John Norstad. INFO-MAC Digest (through Virus-L)
Volume 6, Issue 40
The Scores Virus 1988-04-18 * Symantec Antivirus
Scores
* The New York Times, Technology

1988-07-04 * Keith Petersen. VIRUS-L Virus Discussion Lis
FBI to investigate rogue computer program at NASA.
1988-07-06 * Joshua Yeidel. VIRUS-L Virus Discussion List
SCORES Virus (Mac) Sighted At Washington State U.
1988-11-22 * Joe Simpson, Virus-L Digest
A description of computer virus epidemic at Miami U.
1988-04-28 {{Hacking in the 1980s Classic Mac OS viruses Hacking in the 1980s