Viruses and Other Software Threats › Spreading Contaminated Software › Infecting the Operating System › Sharing Programs

Sharing Programs

Mainframe users can be vulnerable to viruses if they share programs. Just as the large‑scale sharing of software contributes to the spread of contaminated software among PC users, the sharing of programs on mainframes invites infected software into these systems. If two users can access and update the same library, the risk of spreading a virus is introduced. The speed at which a virus can spread is directly related to the amount of program sharing you permit among your users. Frequent sharing increases infection opportunities, while infrequent sharing reduces them. Partitioning your user community into independent groups with as little overlap as possible increases your administrative overhead but reduces your risk of infection. Fortunately, disk space is inexpensive and automated administration tools are available.