In the second part of the book, computer viruses were examined only from a technical angle, that is to say, their ability to replicate. Implicitely, we also noticed through our examples that computer viruses are mostly designed for destructive or negative purposes. This part will discuss an unusual approach to computer viruses showing that self-replicating programs can be used for useful and beneficial purposes.

The fact that viral programs can be considered as an interesting application-oriented tool has always aroused fierce opposition from antivirus programs publishers. This idea has always been torpedoed by a wide range of people ranging from academic researchers, manufacturers to legal experts. So far, the idea of "beneficial virus" has been brushed aside. The response of some people involved in antiviral protection is so vehement and definitive than it appears suspicious. Whatever the motives behind this attitude might be (money, power ) it remains that there is a strong pressure from these lobbyists to prevent any use of viruses/worms for a "beneficial ^[1] purpose".

All signs point out that this illusory and barren attitude will soon be out-of-date. Be that as it may, the idea of such applications has already germinated in some minds. The early known or less well-known applications might have been envisaged for military purposes. As high-tech warfare has become heavily dependent on computers and...