| The Mental Driller | |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Birth Date | |
| Birth Place | Spain |
| Operations | Spain |
| Years active | 1998 - 200? |
| Languages | LOGO, Assembly, C, C++ |
| Affiliation(s) | 29A |
The Mental Driller is a virus coder formerly affiliated with the 29A group. He is the author of several innovative viruses, including MetaPHOR, the cross-platform Windows/Linux virus. Most of his viruses had polymorphic or metamorphic capabilities, something he was strongly interested in.
Biography
The Mental Driller was born in Spain. His first computer was a ZX Spectrum, which he received from his father in 1984. Being a programmer himself for around 30 years, The Mental Driller's father encouraged him to go into the field of coding for a living. He began programming with the LOGO language when he was 7 or 8 years old.
He first learned of viruses after receiving an infected diskette with the Flip virus. He knew nothing more about viruses than the average computer user and even took the precaution of not turning his computer on during Friday the 13th. The experience sparked curiosity about viruses and when he learned Assembly, he disassembled a copy of Barrotes to see how it worked. Viruses became a passion after studying a variant of the Natas virus.
After studying Natas, he contacted and joined 29A. The first virus he published was Squatter in issue 3 of 29A. All of his viruses published there have polymorphic or metamorphic capabilities.
At University, The Mental Driller went by the handle "MindThorner". He later changed his handle to "The Mental Driller".
Personal Preferences
The Mental Driller's favourite programing language was assembly. He did not have a favourite anti-virus program, but did like the analyses of some of the major anti-virus companies.
Viruses/Worms
As of 2002, The Mental Driller had never coded any worms, only viruses.
Sources
PetiK. PetiKVX Ezine, Interview with The Mental Driller/29A. 2002.03.21