Virus WildList closed 'until further notice'
Source: The Register
The WildList, a list of viruses currently at large which plays an important role in testing antivirus software, has been suspended indefinitely.
In a message to the antivirus community, Shane Coursen, chief executive of the WildList Organization (which compiles the list), said that March, 2002 WildList will be the last "until further notice". Coursen is seeking a full-time position as an antivirus researcher.
Separate mechanisms (both formal and informal) exist within the antivirus community to exchange virus sample, which are needed to update software to cope with the latest threat. However the suspension of the WildList still has important implications.
In recent years, the WildList list has been used by anti-virus product testers and industry groups such as the definitive guide to the viruses found in the real world. An anti-virus product is expected to score 100 percent detection against this group of viruses.
