ABSTRACT
Since the advent of one of the first computer viruses on the IBM personal computer (PC) platform in 1986 the variety and complexity of malicious software has grown to encompass over 5000 viruses on IBM PC, Apple Macintosh, Commodore Amiga, Atari ST, and many other platforms. In addition to viruses a wide range of other disruptions such as Trojan horses, logic bombs, and e-mail bombs have been detected. In each case the software has been crafted with malicious intent ranging from system disruption to demonstration of the intelligence and creativity of the author.
