Interview with Anti-State Tortoise
by Cicatrix
[December 1999]

How did you start out in computers?

I got a Commodore c64 when I was 6 for Christmas (Yes I am that Old!!) I was hooked from there on in , I learned to program in Basic then a little asm on the Amiga before I got enough money to move up to PC's a few years ago.

How and when did you start out in the virus scene?

About 1995 a shareware library i got stuff from started a small vx section and to their credit had all the Dark Angel Tutes and a few other things like NRLG - I got everything they had and bought a few books on asm.Usual progression after that shitty com ow , appender etc etc.

Which programming languages do you know?

Asm and VB.

What programming language do you like using the most?

Asm its not as intuitive as VB but its just sooooo versatile and there's no better way of messing with M$ operating systems internals.

Are you a member of a VX group?

Nope.

Which AV software do you like/respect the most? Which the least?

I have great respect for HMVS and F-Prot ..... as for the rest of them well avp seems to be one of the more sensationalist vendors.

What is your view on the continuous 'war' between VX and AV.

I dont think there is a war anymore - its more of a case of how much can the AV vendors sensationalise virus writing in front of the media just to shift more units,exactly as we are seeing with the "supposed" Y2K virus threat.

Where did you get you handle? What does it mean?

My namesake is a Bomb-Throwing Anarchist tortoise from an Underground Punk magazine called Arnie as for why I ended up with it as a handle its a long story.

What is your view on macro viruses vs. assembly or HLL viruses?

Macro viruses are obviously going to be viewed as beneath asm viruses - but I think theres a hell of a long way to go with macros especially as developers keep adding Macro functionality to apps without any concept of security issues and esp. when the Macro Functionality involves the VBA engine.

Which VX E-zine do you like to most? Which the least?

VXtasy is definately one of the best Zines Ive seen.

Which individual or what group do you like/respect in the VX world?

Lord Julus for the above reason.As for Groups its gotta be the CodeBreakers.

Which individual or what group do you like/respect outside the VX or the AV world?

Jello Biafra.Both for his music (dk's rule) and for educating the sheep ;o)

Do you think there is such a thing as a 'good' virus?

All are - theyve created a multi-million dollar industry around them so thats good isnt it ???

Do people outside the VX scene know what you do (parents, girlfriend etc.)?

Yep , Hi Mum Hi dad :O) Theres a few people that know mostly friends (hi peeps) there's wierder hobbies out there.

Should viruses be illegal? Is there a difference between creation and spreading?

I think it is a very short-sighted ragime that would see viral research made illegal There is a difference between creation and spreading - I cant condone spreading but why should writing and research be illegal.....Thats like banning computer security research because a small amount of the information will get used malicously.

What is your advice for people just starting out?

Just because people tell you something cant be done doesnt mean it is impossible....

Any other comments (take all the space you need)?

As Jimi Hendrix once said "There'll be no smoking in the Gas chambers".