Review of "The Virus Creation Labs: A Journey Into the Underground" from THE NET magazine, February 1996.

"Rarely do I get to review an Internet book that really, genuinely, 100 percent keeps my interest. Most are strewn with dry layouts, nowhere-near-funny attempts at wit, and overused media buzzwords like 'netiquette' and 'turnkey.' I'm pleased to announce, though, that one book has managed to truly engage me. I couldn't stop reading it. Though it's not specifically about the Internet, it's closely related. _The Virus Creation Labs_ documents the key players involved in the creation of computer viruses (since 1992). With a witty, in-your-face perspective, the author begins with a chapter about the Michelangelo virus, laughing all the while at media paranoia, then winds through virus celebs. Smith acknowledges that some hackers won't like the book, either because of jealousy or because they will dislike the way they've been portrayed. Personally, I think that's what puts the book over the edge. It's bound to offend and bound to entertain. No pain, no gain is what I say!

"As hype continues to build about security on the Internet and movies like _Hackers_ ooze the real hackers into the mainstream media, this book is definite apropos material for the time. Read it! A+!"

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Barbara Ehrenreich, famous social critic and author of "The Snarling Citizen" and "Kipper's Game":

". . . Lewis Carroll would probably be the best guide to the tangled, looking-glass world of the computer viruses and other similar places, but since he's not available, we're lucky to have George C. Smith, who is one of those very rare people who can see through media hype and hi-tech hi-jinks with equal clarity. His work is just smart, funny and fast enough to infect your mind, and, like any really great read, leave you a little less sure of things than you were when you started it."

Victor Sussman, US NEWS & WORLD REPORT's computer technology writer:

"I opened the book at random and it grabbed me right from the first paragraph. I sat down the same weekend and read the whole thing!"

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From the McCLATCHY NEWSWIRE (now SCRIPPS):

"THE VIRUS CREATION LABS dives into the hoopla of the Michelangelo media blitz and moves on to become an engaging, articulate, wildly angry diatribe on the world of computer virus writers . . .

Expert reporting!"

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From The Federation of American Scientists' SECRECY & GOVERNMENT BULLETIN:

"The eruption of electronic publications and services has produced some genuinely novel ways to waste time. Anyone who has the time to explore the vast resources of the Internet should probably read 'THE VIRUS CREATION LABS' instead. Cynical, diverting new book . . ."

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From COMPUTER SECURITY JOURNAL:

"George Smith . . . takes a look at the world of virus writers and anti-virus software vendors in a style similar to that of 'Cyberpunks' -- anecdotal, humorous and revealing . . . a lucid and entertaining read."

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From SECURE COMPUTING, October 1995:

"Subtitled a journey into the underground, this book seeks to acquaint us with the denizens of the seedy world of computer viruses. The author - a science and technology journalist armed with a Ph.D. in chemistry - is a Jake Blues lookalike with a wry sense of humor; he explains in the introduction that he anticipates that "there will be a number of people" who hate his book; he puts this down primarily to jealousy that they are not mentioned!

"Cheekily, the opening chapter introduces us to virus populists - naming and quoting several people for whom the spring of 1992 was so memorable with the Michelangelo phenomenon. He sums up a lot of wasted energy with a quote from media humorist Dave Barry about the virus 'wreaking untold havoc on an estimated one computer.

"Having punctured the reputation (hubris?) of the _good_ guys, he continues in the same vein in this colorful book with chapter titles - each a little story in itself - such as 'On the Slab at Cryptic Morgue,' 'A Priest Deploys his Satanic Minions,' and 'The Creeping Evil of People with Funny Names.'

"The book is informative and stunningly incisive in many respects. Some reviewers might have said 'I couldn't put it down' but the truth is, I had to keep on picking it up - after dropping it while curling up in laughter.

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From Rob Rosenberger, VIRUS MYTHS maintainer (Nov. 1996) and owner of Best Website -- 1996 in Internet Underground magazine:

"The media portrays virus writers as teenage prodigies whose temper tantrums threaten the world. The media portrays antivirus companies as serious business professionals who work closely with competitors and international agencies to keep virus writers at bay. If you listen to the media, it's a World War with clear lines drawn between good & evil.

"The media doesn't have a clue. 'Drunken brawl' most accurately describes the virus/antivirus conflict. You can't always tell the good guys from the bad guys (they occasionally switch sides) and it's every man for himself. Virus writers rarely advance the state of the art -- but antivirus firms profit by declaring them deadly computer terrorists.

"Few books about viruses delve into this bizarre soap opera, and most of those only cover it briefly. Crypt Newsletter editor George C. Smith's entire book exposes an insane world where everybody claws at each others' throats -- and where even the virus writers have marketing departments. 172 pages written with an utterly cynical sense of humor & irony. I read 'The Virus Creation Labs' for the first time while sitting in an airport terminal and I repeatedly embarrassed myself with bursts of laughter.

"This book gets my highest recommendation. Required reading for anybody who claims the sky is falling in the computer world. (This especially includes reporters who write such stories.)

"Bias disclosure: I truly envy Smith for his work on this book. History will recognize him as the one who documented the insanity on Planet Virus."

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