Meeting creators of world's 1st virus in Lahore - March 2011
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It's an amazing video. Must watch for everyone
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posted before bro.
Trip to Pakistan
Mikko
"We’ve had a diskette infected with the Brain virus in the F-Secure Security Lab for as long as I can remember. In December 2010 we started thinking how we could mark the fact that it was going to be 25 years since the first PC virus. Different ideas were thrown across the table. Mine was to go looking for the writers of that very first virus, especially since they had left us a clue where it might be possible to find them: Pakistan.
One of the fascinating things about the Brain virus was that its writers actually included their names and contact details inside the virus.
Basit & Amjad (pvt) Ltd.
BRAIN COMPUTER SERVICES
730 NIZAB BLOCK ALLAMA IQBAL TOWN
LAHORE-PAKISTAN
PHONE :430791,443248,280530.
I made a few inquiries and was amazed to discover that Basit and Amjad were still around and living in Lahore, Pakistan. So we booked the flights, got some security advice from the embassy in Islamabad, and set off with that old disk containing Brain. I had no problem at all persuading Olli and Taito to come and produce a video of the trip (unlike some of my colleagues, who thought it was mad to go shooting a data security video in Pakistan).
None of us had ever been to Pakistan so everything was new and interesting. It took three flights to reach Lahore from Helsinki and we arrived around midnight. Unfortunately, an American CIA agent had shot two Pakistani citizens in Lahore three days before our arrival and there had been some riots in the city. Security was extremely tight in our hotel. Maybe that’s why it was full of American “businessmen”…
Outside the hotel we were looked after by a security company throughout our stay in Lahore. Despite the obvious security issues, everything went really smoothly. Everyone we met was very friendly and helpful. Although Pakistan may not be the first holiday destination that springs to mind, it was still a great place to visit.
I will always remember the feeling when we left the hotel in the morning and started driving to the address shown in the text of the Brain virus, wondering what it was going to be like.
730 NIZAB BLOCK ALLAMA IQBAL TOWN
There it was. An office block between a car repair garage and a residential building. It was amazing to knock on the door - and have Basit and Amjad open it.
Today, Basit and Amjad and their brother Shahid run a successful Internet service. And yes, the company is still called Brain.
When they wrote the virus in 1986, the world was a very different place. They had no malicious intentions when they created what turned out to be the first PC virus. There was nothing illegal about it – obviously there were no laws against virus writing in 1986. That’s why they even put their contact details on the virus for everyone to see, and were soon shocked to be receiving phone calls from around the world!
Today Basit, Amjad and Shahid are respected businessmen. It’s quite amazing that they are still working at the same location. I’m really happy we made the trip to Pakistan and grateful to the brothers for sharing their memories with such openness. Listening to their story, I feel like we have recorded some real IT history."
Olli
“At first I thought Mikko was joking at when he said let’s go to Pakistan to shoot an anniversary video of the first PC virus. Some people were horrified, some people advised us not to go, but in the end we got the green light. We quickly worked on a rough script and storyboard, got some inoculations and took the first flight we could.
I had no idea about Pakistan and really felt it when we were driving in the middle of the night from Lahore airport to the hotel. The army road blocks, armed guards outside many buildings and the high level of security at the hotel were all something new to me.
The next day my perspective on Pakistan changed completely. People in Lahore were really open and friendly and the streets were full of life. It was a nice culture shock coming from calm, organised and freezing-cold Helsinki to a bustling city with so many people, crazy traffic and donkeys on the streets.
We met Basit and Amjad at the Brain headquarters and they gave us a tour of the company. The atmosphere was relaxed and we had a good time talking about the history of the virus and their company. Everything was so convivial, but Brain Telecommunication Ltd also had its armed guards standing outside the office, like so many other businesses. We also had our own security people and were never alone when filming. The brothers invited us out for dinner in the evening but our security said we should all eat at the hotel instead.
I think this was a very meaningful trip for Mikko. He was so intrigued by the story of the first PC virus. Maybe it was also an opportunity for him to reflect on his work of fighting against viruses for the past twenty years. He didn’t complain when Taito and I kept hassling him for one more retake after 19 hours of flying.
Basit and Amjad were real gentlemen. They were also concerned that Pakistan is nearly always presented in a negative light. The rest of the world has few opportunities to see everyday life in Pakistan behind the seemingly endless stream of bad news in the media. I hope our video also shows a little of what an interesting and beautiful place Lahore is.”
It was a special moment when Mikko gave Basit and Amjad the disk with the Brain virus from all those years ago. Somehow it put all their hard work in perspective and also showed how much things have changed in 25 years.
I also really enjoyed the trip. One of the best memories was the wonderful sunset when we were shooting the final scenes of the video on the roof of the hotel. There were thousands of falcons flying up in the sky. Some were sitting on the hotel sign on the rooftop. We could see the minarets of the mosques glowing serenely in the rich, fading light across the city, while the streets below continued to pulsate with life. That’s the enduring image of Lahore for me.
F-Secure - Trip to Pakistan
---------- Post added at 02:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:26 AM ----------
Thank you...
Mikko
"We’ve had a diskette infected with the Brain virus in the F-Secure Security Lab for as long as I can remember. In December 2010 we started thinking how we could mark the fact that it was going to be 25 years since the first PC virus. Different ideas were thrown across the table. Mine was to go looking for the writers of that very first virus, especially since they had left us a clue where it might be possible to find them: Pakistan.
One of the fascinating things about the Brain virus was that its writers actually included their names and contact details inside the virus.
Basit & Amjad (pvt) Ltd.
BRAIN COMPUTER SERVICES
730 NIZAB BLOCK ALLAMA IQBAL TOWN
LAHORE-PAKISTAN
PHONE :430791,443248,280530.
I made a few inquiries and was amazed to discover that Basit and Amjad were still around and living in Lahore, Pakistan. So we booked the flights, got some security advice from the embassy in Islamabad, and set off with that old disk containing Brain. I had no problem at all persuading Olli and Taito to come and produce a video of the trip (unlike some of my colleagues, who thought it was mad to go shooting a data security video in Pakistan).
None of us had ever been to Pakistan so everything was new and interesting. It took three flights to reach Lahore from Helsinki and we arrived around midnight. Unfortunately, an American CIA agent had shot two Pakistani citizens in Lahore three days before our arrival and there had been some riots in the city. Security was extremely tight in our hotel. Maybe that’s why it was full of American “businessmen”…
Outside the hotel we were looked after by a security company throughout our stay in Lahore. Despite the obvious security issues, everything went really smoothly. Everyone we met was very friendly and helpful. Although Pakistan may not be the first holiday destination that springs to mind, it was still a great place to visit.
I will always remember the feeling when we left the hotel in the morning and started driving to the address shown in the text of the Brain virus, wondering what it was going to be like.
730 NIZAB BLOCK ALLAMA IQBAL TOWN
There it was. An office block between a car repair garage and a residential building. It was amazing to knock on the door - and have Basit and Amjad open it.
Today, Basit and Amjad and their brother Shahid run a successful Internet service. And yes, the company is still called Brain.
When they wrote the virus in 1986, the world was a very different place. They had no malicious intentions when they created what turned out to be the first PC virus. There was nothing illegal about it – obviously there were no laws against virus writing in 1986. That’s why they even put their contact details on the virus for everyone to see, and were soon shocked to be receiving phone calls from around the world!
Today Basit, Amjad and Shahid are respected businessmen. It’s quite amazing that they are still working at the same location. I’m really happy we made the trip to Pakistan and grateful to the brothers for sharing their memories with such openness. Listening to their story, I feel like we have recorded some real IT history."
Olli
“At first I thought Mikko was joking at when he said let’s go to Pakistan to shoot an anniversary video of the first PC virus. Some people were horrified, some people advised us not to go, but in the end we got the green light. We quickly worked on a rough script and storyboard, got some inoculations and took the first flight we could.
I had no idea about Pakistan and really felt it when we were driving in the middle of the night from Lahore airport to the hotel. The army road blocks, armed guards outside many buildings and the high level of security at the hotel were all something new to me.
The next day my perspective on Pakistan changed completely. People in Lahore were really open and friendly and the streets were full of life. It was a nice culture shock coming from calm, organised and freezing-cold Helsinki to a bustling city with so many people, crazy traffic and donkeys on the streets.
We met Basit and Amjad at the Brain headquarters and they gave us a tour of the company. The atmosphere was relaxed and we had a good time talking about the history of the virus and their company. Everything was so convivial, but Brain Telecommunication Ltd also had its armed guards standing outside the office, like so many other businesses. We also had our own security people and were never alone when filming. The brothers invited us out for dinner in the evening but our security said we should all eat at the hotel instead.
I think this was a very meaningful trip for Mikko. He was so intrigued by the story of the first PC virus. Maybe it was also an opportunity for him to reflect on his work of fighting against viruses for the past twenty years. He didn’t complain when Taito and I kept hassling him for one more retake after 19 hours of flying.
Basit and Amjad were real gentlemen. They were also concerned that Pakistan is nearly always presented in a negative light. The rest of the world has few opportunities to see everyday life in Pakistan behind the seemingly endless stream of bad news in the media. I hope our video also shows a little of what an interesting and beautiful place Lahore is.”
It was a special moment when Mikko gave Basit and Amjad the disk with the Brain virus from all those years ago. Somehow it put all their hard work in perspective and also showed how much things have changed in 25 years.
I also really enjoyed the trip. One of the best memories was the wonderful sunset when we were shooting the final scenes of the video on the roof of the hotel. There were thousands of falcons flying up in the sky. Some were sitting on the hotel sign on the rooftop. We could see the minarets of the mosques glowing serenely in the rich, fading light across the city, while the streets below continued to pulsate with life. That’s the enduring image of Lahore for me.
F-Secure - Trip to Pakistan
---------- Post added at 02:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:26 AM ----------
Thank you...
