32-bit virus threats on 64-bit Windows

Atli Gudmundsson Symantec Security Response, EMEA

Traditionally, Intel and Microsoft have maintained backward compatibility with older versions of their products. The IA64 architecture and the Windows 64 (Whistler) operating system are no exceptions to this rule, with elaborate steps taken to make old applications work seamlessly under his new combination. However, these new platforms present a unique risk, a risk that needs to be taken seriously: existing malware that run on the current 32-bit Windows platform.

This paper will explain briefly how the Win64/IA64 platform supports the Win32/IA32 platform and therefore pre-existing malware for that platform. But, more importantly, this paper will investigate how current malware can potentially corrupt and destroy Win64 applications.

Finally, this paper will present guidelines, for AV vendors, on how to recognize these types of corruption as well as possible ways of fixing them.

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VB100 certification

VB100 The final VB100 of the year sees a double whammy of potential pitfalls for our comparative participants - the Vista operating system, which still seems shiny and new as well as a little scary (to both developers and users), as well as the x64 architecture, whose ostensible compatibility with standard 32-bit software belies oddities and intricacies that developers ignore at their peril. The announcement of the test brought a few surprises, as several regulars opted to skip this one, but the majority of veteran competitors took part as usual, along with several newer faces, many of whom look set to join the ranks of our regulars.
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