Dr. Vesselin Bontchev
Vesselin Bontchev is probably
the
ultimate authority on MS-DOS viruses today. His passion for accuracy
and
painstaking research ensure that a challenge to any of his statements
runs a
grave risk of being wrong. One of his many contributions to the field
of
antivirus research was the first truly comprehensive test of scanner
identification of polymorphic viruses, such as those using the MtE
mutation
engine. The results of this massive undertaking was came as rather a
shock
when it was determined that even the best antivirals had room for
improvement.
(Ironically, this strict adherence to the truth in his field of
professional
endeavour has given rise, in some quarters, to a completely false
impression of
Vesselin as a humorless pedant. Nothing could be further from the
truth, since
a close reading of Vesselin's postings reveals a sharp, and
delightful, wit.)
Originally from Bulgaria, Vesselin was a prime mover behind the
creation of the
Laboratory of Computer Virology at the Bulgarian Academy of Science.
Later he
made a significant contribution to the Virus Test Center at the
University of
Hamburg during his studies with renowned computer security authority
Klaus
Brunnstein. During the latter stages of his time in Germany, Vesselin
wrote a
paper pointing out the shortcomings in the InVircible program. This
has made
him a subject of consistent, bitter, and ongoing attacks from
InVircible's
author, Zvi Netiv.
Dr. Bontchev is currently employed by Frisk
Software.
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