AND WHAT DOES EDDIE LIVES MEAN? AND WHO IS DIANA P. ? IS SHE YOUR GIRLFRIEND OR WHAT? The queries were from Yves P., a French virus writer. Free Raider posted his salute on December 9th: Hl, BRILLIANT VIRUS WRITER. Another message said, Hl, I'M ONE SYSOP OF THE INNERSOFT BULLETIN BOARD. SHOULD I CONSIDER MY BOARD NOT POPULAR BECAUSE YOU DON T LIKE TO CALL IT? PLEASE GIVE IT A CALL.
The messages from his fans reflected the Dark Avenger's new status: he had become a star. In the two years since he created Eddie, he had become the computer underworld's most notorious virus writer. He had established a brand identity: the Dark Avenger's viruses were known to be the most destructive and among the best engineered ever seen. His fame, as he knew, had spread throughout Europe and to North America as well.
So it's not surprising that he wanted to be treated like the star he was, and reacted badly to criticism. In March 1991 he sent the following message to Fidonet, the international bulletin board network: HELLO, ALL ANTIVIRUS RESEARCHERS WHO ARE READING THIS MESSAGE. I AM GLAD TO INFORM YOU THAT MY FRIENDS AND I ARE DEVELOPING A NEW VIRUS, THAT WILL MUTATE IN 1 OF 4,000,000,000 DIFFERENT WAYS! IT WILL NOT CONTAIN ANY CONSTANT INFORMATION. NO VIRUS SCANNER CAN DETECT IT. THE VIRUS WILL HAVE MANY OTHER NEW FEATURES THAT WILL MAKE IT COMPLETELY UNDETECTABLE AND VERY DESTRUCTIVE! Fidonet may not have been the best outlet for his boasting: its users are mostly ethical computer enthusiasts. The Dark Avenger received a flood of replies, from all over Europe. Most were critical; some were abusive. The Dark Avenger replied testily, I RECEIVED NO FRIENDLY REPLIES TO MY MESSAGE. THAT'S WHY I WILL NOT REPLY TO ALL THESE MESSAGES SAYING "FUCK YOU." THAT'S WHY I WILL NOT SAY IY MORE ABOUT MY PLANS.
At thirty-one, Vesko Bontchev is surprisingly young looking, thin and somewhat frail. He is a serious man who speaks deliberately and intensely about the virus problem in Bulgaria. He lives with his mother in a shabby five-story 1950s block on a characteristically grim East European housing estate on the outskirts of Sofia. The apartment is large by Bulgarian standards: Vesko has his own room.
Although he is unassuming, it is apparent that he is proud of his reputation as the country's foremost virus fighter and of his contacts with other researchers in the West. His position is ensured by his oddly symbiotic relationship with the Dark Avenger, one that almost parallels his earlier relationship with Teodor. Because the Dark Avenger lives in Bulgaria, Vesko's position as a lecturer and researcher is secure. At the same time, Vesko contributes to the Dark Avenger's fame by publicizing his activities abroad. In a curious way the two need each other.
Cynics who have noticed this have argued that if the Dark Avenger hadn't existed, it would have been in Vesko's interest to have invented him. Some have even theorized that the two are one and the same: that the quiet, intense virus researcher has an alter ego--the demonic, heavy-metal fan, the admirer of Princess Diana, the virus writer called the Dark Avenger. The Avenger has himself contributed to the notion: one of his viruses contains Vesko's own copyright notice, and every so often he teases Vesko. Once, the Dark Avenger wrote: "To learn how to find out a program author by its code, or why virus-writers are not dead yet, contact Mr. Vesselin Bontchev. So, never say die! Eddie lives on and on and on . . ."
In an interview in a Bulgarian newspaper, Vesko was asked about the rumours. "Can you give me the name of Dark Avenger?" the reporter queried.
"No."
"Is it possibly you?"
"I have been asked similar questions both in the West and in the Soviet Union. But it is not true."
Despite the rumors, Vesko isn't the Dark Avenger--but he does provide the oxygen of publicity for the Bulgarian virus writer. It suits them both: for Vesko, the Dark Avenger provides the raw material for his reports; for the Dark Avenger, Vesko's watchfulness ensures his own reputation as the demonic scourge of computers.
The two young men--the hunter and the outlaw--are locked in an unfriendly embrace. The relationship between the two is one of mutual distrust, which neither attempts to disguise. It is the classic relationship between a cop and his adversary: hatred, tinged with a measure of respect.
