Virus Writers are 'Obsessive and Socially Inadequate'

Viruses are usually written by males with social problems, who are aged between 14 and 34, according to a security expert. And there is no sign that interest in viruses dropping off Male. Obsessed with computers. Lacking a girlfriend. Aged 14 to 34. Capable of sowing chaos worldwide. That is the profile of the average computer-virus writer, an anti-virus expert said on Tuesday. About 1,000 viruses are created every month by virus writers increasingly intent on targeting new operating systems, said Jan Hruska, the chief executive of British-based Sophos, the world’s fourth-largest anti-virus solutions provider. “So far, we’ve seen no indication of decreased interest in virus writing,” Hruska said in an interview. “Virus writers are constantly looking for new vectors of infection, targeting the vulnerabilities of operating systems to exploit them for their creations,” he said. Hruska said the number of viruses created would continue to climb in the coming years. In almost all cases, virus writers were computer-obsessed males between the ages of 14 to 34 years, he said. “They have a chronic lack of girlfriends, are usually socially inadequate and are drawn compulsively to write self-replicating codes. It’s a form of digital graffiti to them,” Hruska said. Full Story