Meanwhile, other antivirus companies scramble to code a cure for this Windows 98 desktop graphics virus. So far HPS appears, like many viruses, to be harmless and humorous. Even if GriYo had the best of intentions, people worry that a mistake buried somewhere in his HPS code might accidentally cause harm. Let's face it. People don't like to have programs running on their computers unless they make the decision to put them there.
Computer viruses are no big deal.
Digital viruses may be the first stages of artificial life. It used sendmail and finger exploits to break into and propagate from one Unix computer to another. Yet many computer scientists say we shouldn't call the Morris Worm a computer virus. As a result, Cohen is credited by many with being the first to conceive of their existence. He didn't invent them, but was the first to prove they could be created, and to foresee the damage they could cause.