| Common name | MDEF |
|---|---|
| Technical name | MDEF |
| Aliases | Garfield Top Cat |
| Family | Unknown |
| Classification | Virus |
| Type | Macintosh |
| Subtype | Nuisance |
| Isolation | May 1990 |
| Point of isolation | Ithaca, New York |
| Point of origin | Ithaca, New York |
| Author(s) | Same author as CDEF |
MDEF was a computer virus affecting Macintosh machines. There are four known strains. The first, MDEF A (aka Garfield), was discovered in May 1990. Strains B (aka Top Cat), C, and D were discovered in August 1990, October 1990, and January 1991, respectively.
MDEF A, B, and C can infect application files and system files, and sometimes document files as well. The D strain will infect only applications. None of the viruses were designed to do damage, but they often do. MDEF D can sometimes damage applications beyond repair.
Quick action by computer security personnel and the New York State Police resulted in identification of the author, a juvenile. This was the same person responsible for writing the CDEF virus.
References
- Norstad, John. The Viruses. Disinfectant 3.7.1 ©1988-1997 Northwestern University.
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