Dumb code could stop computer viruses in their tracks

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427355.600-dumb-code-could-stop-computer-viruses-in-their-tracks.html

Somebody made that up. There isn't a chance in h-e double hockey sticks that it could work.

If the file is simply opened by another program, the code is ignored.

err- no, actually, it causes a corrupt or unreadable file message. you know, because it get's some random machine code instead of the header for it's file type. Additionally, they don't discuss what happens when the file passes through multiple servers. Does each one staple on this "machine code" (which is not even sophisticated- I mean seriously- a single RET instruction, and they simply assume that EVERY program ever made will ignore the First byte being Hex CB? Not the case.

Word 2007, for example, using it's native docx format, refuses to open the file, saying it's corrupt. It will open the file, but only when asked to "recover" the contents. I suppose they are assuming that every program has a recovery function of this sort?

Ahh! but it get's better! try it with a Word 2003 or earlier Document! what fun! it thinks it's a text file, and asks what the encoding is.

Additionally, if they do this with an executable, I'm not sure how that would work. they would need to detect a number of different Executable types, since only COM files are simply headerless executable code; and what about Script files? how does it work with those?

This sounds like one of those software companies who have one developer for every 50 marketing salespeople. All this will do from what they say is make your attachments unreadable. (ahh, but not just unreadable: "unreadable®". after all- they DID patent it.

I'm with BC_programmer on this one, couldn't see how this would work. I also didn't like the below quote, when is an infinite loop ever good for a computer? Personally I think a tactic like this would seem to cause more problems then it'd actually solve, especially with valid files. But I'd love to be proven wrong.

Qinetiq's code will run first - and stop the rest of the program in its tracks, either by exiting or by sending it into an infinite loop.