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Documentation for Apple.Rx
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This program requires an Apple IIgs or an enhanced //e or //c WITH
a 65802 or 65816 microprocessor. A 65802 chip can be bought for
around $20 and can easily be inserted in place of the 65C02 in the
latter two machines.
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This program is "virus medicine". It will read your system files
(and any other types you specify) and create a data file that
contains information on these files. At any time, you can run it
in check mode and it will report any of these files that have been
altered. For obvious reasons, I am not going to detail exactly what
sort of data the program saves, but suffice it to say that it is
virtually impossible to change any of these files without detection
by this program and it would also be very difficult to either alter
this program or the data file it creates without detection.
The program makes an effort to protect itself and its data file from
modification. It encrypts itself and resaves itself whenever it is
used to write a new data file. However, despite these safeguards,
the safest way to use it is to keep this program and its data file
on a separate dedicated 3.5" disk, which you use only for running
this program.
THE PROGRAM NAME
If you do not keep this program on a separate dedicated disk then
you should change its name, so that a viral program specifically
looking for this program cannot easily find it and modify it.
THE DATA FILE
The name of the data file defaults to RX.FILE. This name is kept
in the STARTUP position of the program. If not kept on a dedicated
disk, then its name too should be changed using BLOCK.WARDEN from
ProSel. Unless you give it a full pathname, it will be kept on the
same disk as the program.
THE VOLUME NAME
The program must be told what volume to check. This defaults to
/HARD1, but this can be changed via the Change defaults function in
the program.
FILES CHECKED
The program has two means of deciding which files to check. (Ordinarily,
pure data files need not be checked, only programs.) The first way it
decides whether to check a file is by a list of file types it keeps.
It will check all files whose file type is in this list. The list
presently contains only SYS (type $FF) and S16 (type $B3) types. You
should add the NDA, CDA and TOL types ($B8, B9 and BA) and the tool setup
type $B6. There is an option in the program for modifying this list. For
example, you could add type $06 for BIN files, or type $FC for BAS files.
Since many BIN files are data files, however, it is probably best to use
the second option for them.
The second way it decides is by a list of "special files". This list
presently contains the file PROSEL. Again, there is an option in the
program for adding to and deleting from this list. Note that if you
have a file name in this list and the file cannot be found, then a
program error will be reported and the program will abort. In such a
case, you must remove that file name from the list.
It is suggested that you either add the type $F1 to cover the CD.EXT
file, or add that file to the name list.
Whenever you add a program file to your system, you should run Apple.Rx
in check mode to make sure things are now ok, and then rerun it in
Create mode to revise the data file to include the new program file.
You should run this program in check mode at frequent intervals, perhaps
every day, to quickly determine if a problem exists before it has a
chance to spread further. In particular it is a good idea to run a
check before backing up a hard disk.
PASSWORD
To protect itself somewhat, the program requires a password when you
enter it. The initial password is APPLEAPPLEAPPLE (passwords are not
case sensitive) and one of the first things you should do is to change
it with the built in facility to do that. A password must be at least
12 characters long, and when it is changed the program will encrypt
most of itself and resave itself to disk. After that point you MUST
remember your password. Recreation of the password from the encrypted
file is virtually impossible unless you have the facilities of the CIA.
It is in the nature of the encryption that even knowing the encryption
algorithm, and having both encrypted and decrypted files at one's
disposal will not, without gargantuan effort, yield the password that
was used to drive the encryption. You can change the password any
time you want, but you must know the old password to access the program
in order to make that change.
Some functions, including changing the password, are disabled and
payment of the shareware fee will bring enabling instructions.
WHAT THE PROGRAM CANNOT DO
The program only checks that files have not been changed (by a virus
or whatever). It cannot prevent damage by a program that does not
change other files; for example, a program that just starts erasing
a disk at a certain date. Only well kept backups can protect from
that. Even backups cannot protect against a virus that invades other
programs, however, and that is the purpose of this utility.
DISEASE PREVENTION
Nothing can be 100% protection against viruses. You should practice
diligence and prevention. Do not ever download (and use) a program
from a pirate board. (I can imagine and understand a software
publisher uploading an infected program onto such boards, in sheer
retribution.) Never use, in a susceptible environment (such as a
hard disk), any program downloaded by or otherwise received from
someone you do not know or in whom you do not have confidence.
COPYRIGHT
This program is copyrighted 1988 by Glen Bredon. It is expressly
forbidden to give this program to anyone else or to upload it to any
bulletin board. If the program was not uploaded by me to a major
service then you should not use it. These restrictions are to make
it more difficult for a look-alike contaminated program to be
distributed.
The program is SHAREWARE for $20. When you pay your fee, you should
indicate where you got the program, so I can warn you if it is not
legitimate. (Of course, this notice is unlikely to appear in a
non-legitimate copy.)
Just clip and mail:
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To: Glen E. Bredon Re: Apple.Rx version 1.0
521 State Road Software viral protection program
Princeton, NJ 08540
Glen:
____ Enclosed is my check for $20 in payment for Apple.Rx. I obtained
the program from: Compuserve
(or)
____ Enclosed is my check for $25, for which please send me the Apple.Rx
program on a 5.25" disk. I understand that you will not distribute the
program in this manner during the months of June, July and August.
I understand that the payment entitles me to receive instructions on how
to enable the disabled functions, and to receive a warning if my source
for the program is not legitimate, and that I may download any future
updates from the same source with no further payment, or obtain a revision
from you for a P&H fee of $5. I further understand that it is not possible
to have 100% sure protection against software viruses and that no such
implied warrantee is given. I agree to abide by the copyright and to not
distribute any copies of the program to other people or services.
From: ________________________________________
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