Mark Ludwig
More info
- Known for
- The Little Black Book of Computer Viruses (1991)
- Publisher
- American Eagle Publications
Physicist who printed working viruses as source code in books, and argued it was a matter of free speech.
The Little Black Book of Computer Viruses appeared in 1991 with complete assembly listings for several viruses, boot sector infectors among them. The sequel, The Giant Black Book of Computer Viruses (1995), moved on to stealth and polymorphic techniques. Ludwig published them through his own press, since few others would touch them.
His case was that viruses are a form of artificial life worth studying, developed at length in Computer Viruses, Artificial Life and Evolution (1993). The antivirus industry mostly saw a how-to guide for teenagers. The argument over full disclosure of malware — should you publish how it works? — hasn't got much simpler since.