DDT: another group dies with its 1st issue

DDT: another group dies with its 1st issue
only the good die young

This article is dedicated to all the DDT members in their short (but active) history, that are/were (chronologically):

+ Billy Belcebu (who writes this)
+ zAxOn
+ Frontis/JuaNJo
+ Johnny Mnemonic (was kicked, you'll see why)
+ DuSTFaeRie
+ SeptiC (only 2 days)
+ VirusBuster (only 1 week)
+ ThE_WiZArD
+ Mandragore
+ Ypsilon

This is for all you, friends. DDT forever!

[ Introduction ]

As you know, DDT is dead. Although i don't know if ThE_WiZArD continues carrying the DDT label, i consider it dead as a group. And that makes me to feel sadness. You are wondering now why such a promising group, as we were, is dead. How could it happen? Why? Ok, let me tell you the whole (but short) DDT history.

[ Why, when and how DDT appeared? ]

Well, this is going to appear in a book soon (hey SyS, lo acabas o no?), but anyway i think it should be interesting for you to know it.

Personally, i always wanted to write a virus, since i've read the interview published in PCMANIA with Wintermute and Mister Sandman, and about 29A, and all the virus descriptions in this same magazine fascinated me.

The story began in October of 1997, a long time ago. After our school mate JuaNJo downloaded (he was the only one of us that had inet) some virus related material, such as IVP, G2, NRLG, some Hacking/Phreaking/Bomb-making stuff, and passed it to zAxOn and me, we began to be interested in writing some undergroung material. I had an idea in my mind: create a viruswriting group, such as NuKE, YAM and 29A were (hey, don't blame me. We only knew that three groups!), but i was afraid to tell it to zAxOn, because he'd laugh on me, as always. But i finally commented it to him, but i've never expected his answer: "oh, shit, i've thought the same as you. It could be nice!".
So, i, with my knowledge of Pascal, and him, with his little knowledge of assembler, tried to write our first thing: a virus creator. JuaNJo was included in the group because he's a very close friend to zAxOn and me, and thanx to him we had some access to the contents of the net. Also we included Johnny Mnemonic in the list, but he had no idea even of use his computer (and still he doesn't know to do some others things like HTML code and play videogames), but he passed us Carmageddon, and we had to include him here.
The first thing that was born was the interface of the program, written by me. It was nice, with some bitmapped satanic fonts (unreadable!), such as NRLG ones, but even more radical. It was also menu-based, but not as VCL. It was black (i like that color) with a menu in the left middle in the screen (a'la IRG#8). After i've done it, i took all the code of it and went to zAxOn's home to write together the virus engines. It took us one weekend to rip most of the IVP code, adapt it, change some parts, and add many payloads. As i didn't knew how the hell to code in ASM, zAxOn done it for me. Also, some other routines were ripped from NRLG. Don't blame, yes, we know it was lame, but see... I was 14 and zAxOn was 15... So, what the fuck you expect? Well, the virus generator was finished, and we called it NOP ViRUS CREATOR 0.666 (we didn't knew that there was a group called NoP). It had some cool things in the interface, such as very nice copper bars going up and down in the goodbye screen, some political messages inside the program (what do you expect of me? i can't avoid it!). It was, and will never be released to the public. As we were growing up in coding, i started to write the interface for the second version of the virus creator, the NOP 1.666. But our plans were fucked up, as in Christmas, zAxOn failed 6 subjects (imagine his parents, he never had failed any subject in his life). So, his parents punished him. I was alone in the coding. Anyway, i built a very very good new interface for the new program, with some graphical stuff, such as fire, bump mapping, pictures, fadings, etc. As i knew a bit of assembler, i coded many different payloads for the virus. The interface had some windows, was able to save your settings, it still had some political messages :) The most important, the virus engine, was taken from 29A#1, Wintermute's Apocalyptic virus. As you know, that virus is a TSR COM/EXE size-stealth virus. I modified a bit the source, gave many greets to Winter (although i didn't knew him), and finished it, alone. It was a great mental exercice. Just after it, i wrote a brand new interface for the NOP 2.666. This virus generator was never finished. But still, you can see its interface in DDT#1, as it's the same (KME!). We began to give our first steps in the real virus coding. We kicked Johnny because his lameness, he didn't wanted to collaborate in anything, or learn. So,we focused our coding skills in writing the NOP 2.666 virus engines by ourselves. The project was very ambitious. While i've written the runtime engines and the TSR ones, zAxOn wrote a polymorphic engine for NOP, called zPe (zAxOn's Polymorphic Engine). As i was a bit bored of the project, i began to write my Antichrist Superstar. zAxOn helped me with its encryption. The virus was a TSR COM/EXE with antidebug/antibait/retro/antiheuristic/antiemulator/antitbclean, size- stealth, and some other features i am not able to remember. Meanwhile, zAxOn was giving his firsts steps in Win32 ASM programming. I've written also a poly engine, X-FME (X-Files Mutation Engine). Also, i wrote my Virus Writing Guide, version 1.00. The group idea was working ok. I've written a little test of a magazine for the group, with all our current stuff, called ROL#1 (Rebels Of Leather magazine). But as we had a lack of stuff (we were only 2 coders), we didn't published it. Also, the NOP 2.666 project was dormant. And here came to our lives Internet. After 3 months earning money (in my case; zAxOn had already a modem) i bought a Diamond SupraExpress modem 56k. It was our first big step. With both us connected, the project of DDT would be a reality. As i am a sucker, and at that time i seeked for fame,i applied both 29A (MrSandman rejected me) and iKX (also rejected me and didn't answered my emails). so, i realized that my place was at DDT, and we had to make it to be a good group, and demonstrate everyone that any group, with hard work, coudl do very good things.

[ DDT grew up: new members, appears in the media... ]

I labeled myself as organization of the group (zAxOn agreed), so it was my task. In one of the ussual netsplits of undernet's #vir channel i met with DuSTFaeRie, a 16 year old french coder, that was interested in viruses and demoscene. He had a TSR COM infector, and i asked him to join. He did! The group was formed by 3 16 year old guys (zAxOn, JuaNJo and DuST), and a 15 year old kid (me!). After uploading our first webpage, in xoom (at the same address where i have my personal web now), and VirusBuster put it in his links, Cicatrix interviewed zAxOn and me. We were grewing up step by step. I've met with a wonderful guy called SeptiC, that was 17 year old, and was member at that time of JVS. He asked him to join. He did, but anyway he decided to leave us 2 days after. After some months in IRC, and asking many people for join and/or contributing, happened the thing that marked a the before and after of the group. I asked some time ago many times ThE_WiZArD to join us, but he always ignored me ;) Well, one day i connected and suddendly VirusBuster told me "Hey, i'm a new member of DDT, and ThE_WiZArD is too". Fuck! What a point! One of the most respected, loved, and known VXers joined DDT!. What two additions! So, the viewpoint of many people about the group changed. We passed from being one of those heap of unproductive groups that only chat in the IRC to be a serious one. In my case, i was lost in the coding of my Win95.Garaipena, zAxOn was coding his Win95.Auryn, and giving form to great ideas, and all was going ok.

Some days after joining, VirusBuster changed his status inside the group as collaborator, although he had all the privileges of a member, for rejoin 29A (he asked me for do it before, and i agreed).

We implanted the democracy in the group, all our decissions since here were made voting.

I continued searching for new members. A french guy called Mandragore asked for contribute. He sent two viruses, Replay II and Glaurung v2.0. I asked him for join, and he agreed, and all the DDT members answered YES to his apply. So, here was another impressive coder in our group! It was growing!

Here came our media apparitions, in the most famous spanish paper-printed magazines. They all described us as a very promising group, with a name in the world's virus scene (damn, it was true!).

The joining of Ypsilon was similar to ThE_WiZArD's one. I asked him many times to join, as Super told me how good he is. He always replied to me "Let me think about it". But after many asks by my side, he said "Why not?". All the members also agreed, so he became a member, although i lost communication with him since there.

Some people helped us in our way to the elite, mainly were 29A and Feathered Serpents. 29A helped us letting me publish an intro to DDT in 29A#3, and with a lot of contribution from their members to DDT#1, and Owl, the leader of FS commented me about the Feathered Serpents Alliance idea, we all agreed with it, and DDT became part of the powerful FSA.

[ DDT#1: the group impresses the scene, and my own decay begins ]

We were developing an impressive piece of work with our first e-zine. Indeed it was the best first e-zine of a group ever, because our hard work. But, some months before publish it (in January) happened the thing that was the main reason of my decay as organizer, and as DDT member:after two impressive phone bills (over $500 both two), my neurotic mother cutted litterally my connection to the net. Fuck. That was the beginning of a hard time to me. I passed the control of the group to zAxOn's hands. But my life situation turned againist me:my vice (IRC) fucked up my studies,i failed two subjects, and many other problems appeared (imagine it, and its consequences). So, i had to think about my situation. For me, DDT was screwing my real life. There wasn't any other solution i could think of: if i don't leave it, it'd screw up my access to the university. Of course, my coding activity, after finish my two first released viruses (Win95.Garaipena, and Win95.Iced Earth) decreased a lot, in order to pass the exams (that were very near). Also, i thought that all the stuff we had for DDT#1 was enough, so i mailed it to ThE_WiZArD for let him to upload it in his web (as our SOK address was down) So, he done it, and that's what appeared. DDT was over for me.

[ What happened to DDT after Billy's departure? ]

As i have a very close relation with zAxOn, i knew what was happening to the group. I planned to let it in the hands of zAxOn,but instead him, ThE_WiZArD took care of the group, and asked to all the members if they would continue after DDT#1. As far as i know, DuST, Mandragore, zAxOn and JuaNJo said that they would leave. I don't know what happened with Ypsilon, but i know he's not in the group now, so i guess he left too. So, ThE_WiZArD was the only one. I think he left too.

I wasn't a good end for a very promising virus group. Fuck, if i've known that they all would leave, i wouldn't left. However, everyone can still take a look to the wonderful and impressive DDT#1.

[ What happened to Billy? ]

Luckily, after i passed the exams, everyone went good, so i could be able again to code, and the summer was there for let me code even more. I had the offer of iKX and i accepted it. And here i am.

[ What happened to the rest of DDT? ]

JuaNJo is still carrying its life (if we can say he has a "life" ;), copying CDs to every lifeform around, getting games even 1 month before its release, getting OS betas for free, etc ;)

zAxOn left the whole idea of virus coding, after releasing only two viruses, including the first PE infector that a member of DDT wrote, and the world's ever first CorelDraw virus. He's working right know in strange things in C related to neural nets, and, btw, he doesn't have installed Windows in any of his 2 computers, he only uses LiNUX.

DuSTFaeRie is still coding demos.

Ypsilon is still working in earn more and more money, fucking with his gf, and trying to make his VAS to work in SP4 :)

About ThE_WiZArD and Mandragore i don't know anything (hey, mail me!)

Sadly, another group died.