Interview with Slage Hammer
by Cicatrix
[April 1998]

How did you start out in computers?

In 1990, January, when a girl needed to do a banner for her birthday and Iwas in love of her. In this year Ihad a CompaQ 386 SX 25, with 60 mb of Hard Disk and 5 mb of RAM and I was studying what was the "dir" command. Now Ihave a Win NT PC and my old 386 is my goat system to test dos and win 3.xx viruses.

How and when did you start out in the virus scene?

I have started to collect viruses from last months of 1994, but I started in the virus scene in 1997 when Foxz has made me a Honored member of NoMercy Virus Team. Before I was interested in viruses only for working ways.

Have you written viruses? If so which would you like to take credit for?

I am working these days at a Access 97 virus but only for my curiosity and I am not interested to take credit for it.

How do you name your viruses?

There is not a specific way but if I'll do some I'll call....for now I don't know.

Which programming languages do you know?

As always I tell people that ask me I don't know very well any language but I work with ASM and VB.

What programming language do you like using the most?

VB for Macro Viruses, analysis, testing, and some development.

Are/were you a member of a VX group?

Yep, for now I am a member as honored of NoMercy Virus Team but soon I'll be a member of The Narcotic Network too.

Which AV software do you like/respect the most? Which the least?

The best AV is AVP, the least is McAfee.

What are your goals (VX wise)?

My first goal the moment is to collect more viruses and more stuff about world virus scene as possible, and to learn as well as possible the VB and ASM language to write a Macro VCK for only the Italian version of Office 9x.

What is your view on the continuous 'war' between VX and AV.

I think that war will be infinite but without the VX world there will not exist the AV world so this war will be eternal. This because give at twice parts new techniques, new ideas, and newest way of programming. In final words the war is usefull at twice parts even if for different ways.

Where did you get you handle? What does it mean?

I chose Slage Hammer because a lot of people call me that because I like to shoot with all the shotguns and handguns that are permitted in my country. I think my name is something like a nick of Rambo coming from some action film.

What is your view on Virus Creation software (eg. VCL, PS-MPC etc.)?

They are good for the beginners, they are good for collector (like me), but nothing else. I have tried all of them because I like to test everything before I put something in my collection. My favorite for DOS is VCL, on the macro front the NEG, and the VMPCK V.1.0a and V.1.0b.

What is your view on macro viruses vs. assembly or HLL viruses?

Macro viruses will be the future in the VX world even if I don't consider them something real special. First was the Word macro viruses then Excel, now Access...with their relatives MVCK....I consider really good viruses the Win32, Win95, Win NT viruses written in ASM or some HLL. There are around about 20 or 30 Win32-95 or NT viruses but their quality are much and indiscussed. This will be the real future for the real and good Virus Writers.

Have you ever confirmed one of your viruses 'in-the-wild'?

No.

Which VX E-zine do you like to most? Which the least?

My favorites E-zines are:

- 29A
- 40HEX
- VLAD
- Xine

The least: I like all other too, I have read all of them.

Which individual or what group do you like/respect in the VX world?

As individual:

- You -> Cicatrix
- Foxz and all NoMercy Members
- VicodinES
- VirusBuster and all 29A people
- Polt
- SSR
- B0Z0

As group:

- NoMercy Virus Team
- The Narcotic Network
- 29A
- IKX

In the AV world?

Avp people and F-prot people.

Which individual or what group do you like/respect outside the VX or the AV world?

No other interest outside the VX or AV world.

What is your view on destructive payloads in viruses?

They are SHIT, good only for poor people !

Do you think there is such a thing as a 'good' virus?

I think that every virus is good, expecially for collecting reasons.

What do you do in 'real' life?

I am a software tutor in a Highschool .

Do people outside the VX scene know what you do (parents, girlfriend etc.)?

No, nobody knows what I do in the VX scene.

Do you do other computer stuff outside VX (Hacking, phreaking, warez etc.)?

No, I bring warez only if I need for something in the VX work.

Should viruses be illegal? Is there a difference between creation and spreading?

One thing is to write a virus and another is to spread them around, if a virus is really good, doesn't make dangerous changes in the system where it is spread, so a normal user will have the virus but your system will became to work, maybe with some funny payload. On the contrary if a spread virus has a nasty payload the virus author will have less credit... I don't consider viruses illegal, I dislike only the really dangerous spread viruses.

Describe the perfect virus.

Will be, 16 - 32 bit compatible, polymorphic, stealth, resident under win9x, and will drop a macro virus, maybe an Access or some other not common type, and will not have a nasty payload and some graphic effect. Maybe dedicated to a girl.

What is your view on Windows (3.1/95/98)

I like only the MS_DOS and Windows NT system, win 95-98 are only sHIt, anyway win 9x and NT will be the future of our pc, there is no need to write dangereous virii to fuck them, they are shit by themselves. (This is dedicated to all people that write viruses with nasty payload for fucking win 95-98). The best system: MS_dos with installed win 3.11....

What is your advice for people just starting out?

Well, first learn the asm language, it is the real language in my opinion, making so they will know how a AV program work, then start in learning the VB language just for know the macro virus world.

Where can you be reached if at all?

By e-mail: slagehammer@usa.net
http://www.focus-asia.com/home/NoMercyVirusTeam/
http://users.skynet.be/somnus/virnnvw.html
irc: irc.arrakis.es #virus

Any greets?

You -> Cicatrix, for the interview
Foxz -> You will be my firend forever
VicodinES -> You are my Brother and my Tutor !!!!
VirusBuster -> Hei Friend we are vary similar.....

Any other comments?

Anyone that has new stuff in VX world, send it to slagehammer@usa.net, everything u want to send to me is welcome.

Short responses to the following names or words:

        - Dark Avenger
          The Legend !
        - Dark Angel
        - Sarah Gordon
        .....
        - Fridrik Skulason
        .....
        - Alan Solomon
        .....
        - WordBasic/VBA
          Good for Macro Viruses
        - VDAT
          The Best in the World
        - VSUM
          The shIT !
        - Assembler
          The best language
        - NuKE
          where we are ?
        - Phalcon Skism
          where we are ?
        - VLAD
          good people and vary good E-zine
        - Immortal Riot
          good people
        - Trident
          I like the 4 version of TPE
        - Polymorphism
          good for asm virii
        - Stealth
          good for macro and standard virii
        - I hate......
          you Tata
        - I love......
          you Tata....
        - Internet
          The Future
        - IRC
          good way to tolk and discuss
        - Sex
          I like
        - World War 3
          will be....

What is the virus scene like in Italy?

Even if I am Italian, I know the VX scene outside my country well, because I don't know any other people inside the VX world. If anyone is, and want to contact me, you are welcome.

What are your plans (VX wise)?

To find, to try, to test, and over this to collect all in the VX world and to help anyone who need of something in the VX world. Doing this I would like to create a Macro CVK for Italian version only....

What do you do for NoMercy?

Test the NoMercy viruses, find new information for all around in the VX world. I consider myself a NoMercy Virus Team "Mascotte".