Cornell student bugs computer systems with voracious virus College Press Service Campus computers suf- fered a rash of destructive ''viruses'' last week, with one, which infected the huge Arapnet and Science Internet networks linking some, 6,000 computers, ranking among the worst ever. Cornell University grad student Robert T. Morris, Jr., 23, admitted writing the \virus\, often without the user's knowledge, and helped kill it before any files or data were destroyed. The 6,000 computers link- ed to the networks Morris in- fected, however, were unusable for almost two days. The U.S. Dept. of Justice may file charges, of- ficials said. At the same time, a separate computer virus named \nVir\ hit Arizona State University and the University of Pennsylvania. The virus found at ASU was \benign more of an ir- ritant than a destructive agent, said Chris Macerate of the school's Microcom- puter Resource Facility It made the computer~ beep, or if a Macintalk system was in use, the virus made the machines say, \Don't panic.\ Penn detected its version of the virus when students found they could not retrieve some of their files or print others. \I tried to save my resume onto my diskette, and it seemed to save it fine, but when I tried to print it out, it couldn't get into that file.\ said Penn senior Maria Man- . ta. \And so my resume was totaled and unrecoverable.\ Penn senior Peter Mathews identified the virus while running a program named Interferon, a virus killer ·for Macintosh com- puters. ASU's Macerate recogniz- ed the virus in his lab by knowing about its symptoms from reading he'd done. ''The virus is nothing new,\ says Macerate, \It just took a while to hit here.'' Similar viruses infected Baylor University and the University of Colorado com· .... .,, . .,.,.., · te October. During the last two school years, the universities of Delaware,' Utah. Pittsburgh and California at Santa Cruz and Irvine, as well as George Washington University have had viruses. Computer systems at IBM, the the Na- tional Aeronautics and Space Administration, networks like Compuserve and Elec- tronic Data Systems, the world's largest computer serice company, have also suffered viruses. The viruses, in Macerate's estimation, are \not an in- creasing problem. They're somewhat of a fad.\ Indeed, on Nov. 6, one company announced it would soon publish ''Trap- door,\ a novel about a villian using a computer virus to take control over the U.S. nuclear arsenal. ASU's Macerate, however, notes debugging programs are appearing. \The problem is there are no specific remedies for new viruses. The remedy is reac- tive to the specific virus. \And said Macerate, \they're like a cold. You can et the same cold over a ain. The Press/Friday, No\embef 18, 1988/THREE Outdoor Education at Raquette Lake Co/lege Relations Registration begins Monday, Nov. 14, for a winter environmental studies program to be offered by State University College at Cortland January 3 to 13 at the College's Outdoor Education Center at Raquette Lake. The interdisciplinary field-oriented course is open to all Cortland College ·undergraduates and registration is limited to 30 students. The course which is offered during the winter break, is spon: sored by the College's Task Force on Outdoor Education. It carries two hours of liberal arts and sciences credit toward graduation. .A~ong ~he courses which will be team-taught wtthm a wmter context are \Fresh Water Aquatic Sys~eJ?S,\ •ssehavioral Ecology,\ \Earthquake ActlVlty and Geology of the Adirondacks,\ \Astronomy \Meteorology and Glacial Studies,\ \Field Mathematics,\ \Adirondack Regional History\ and \Outdoor Education\ in- cluding winter camping, snowshoeing, cross coun- try skiing, winter survival skills and orienteering. Among those who will be teaching are Dr. James Bugh, Dr. John Fauth and Jack Ireland of the Geology Department; Dr. Charles Yaple of the Recr~ation and Leisure Studies Department; Joan C. Sitterly of the Physical Education Department· Bard Prentiss of the Art Department; Dr. Paul Luyben of the Psychology Department; and Dr. Richard Fleck of the English Department. Students interested in enrolling in the course should contact Sitterly in E242 Park Center or Ireland in 343 Bowers Hall. The total cost of $170 includes meals and accommodations . NYPIRG institutes Small ' Claims Court Action Center By CHRISTINE SANDGREN Staff Writer The New York Public In- terest Research Group, Inc., (NYPIRG) has'just opened a Small Claims Court Action Center (SCCAC) in their of- fice on the second floor of Fay Corey Union. Small claims court is a forum in which people can settle their disputes over claims for money. The center offers procedural advice for people who are involved in a dispute whether it be against a landlord who won't return your security deposit, a store that sold you faulty mer- chandise, or someone that has injured you. Debi Traci, SCCAC Project Leader, NYPIRG State Board Representative stated; \For one thing, we stress that small claims court is a last resort, thus, we encourage students planning to move off-campus to come to us before signing any lease.\ Individuals may sue for up to $2,000 and don't need a lawyer. The only cost is $5.25 filing fee. Most frequently, people who are wronged do not use the small claims court because they do not realize its availability_ Now, with NYPIRG's, SCCAC, claimers are aided with negotiating settlements, court procedures and prepar- ing cases. Traci stated, \With our four student in- terns which are receiving col- lege credit, I know we can help student and community members with court pro- cedures to help clear the con- fusion.\ As stated in a NYPIRG flyer, \From 1979-1982, students successfully lobbied for such changes as raising the amount for which you could sue from $1,000 to $2,000, establishing night sessions for working people, and requiring that small claims courts distribute a guidebook to explain court procedures.'' The Small Claims Court Action Center is available to receive telephone calls and walk-ins on Monday and Tuesday from 3-7, the number is 753-5/85. Or con- tact the NYPIRG office, 753-4875, weekdays from 9-5 ~nd leave a message.