14 DAY TRIAL // Back in March 2012, Ukrainian authorities shut down VX Heavens, a website where old-school virus programmers gathered to share opinions and exchange ideas. Now, the site is back as VX Heaven (Virus eXchange Heaven).
The domain on which the site is hosted has been changed, but the individuals that run it appear to be the same.
According to a statement posted by the site’s owners, the old servers and most of the data were seized by authorities back in 2012 and it’s uncertain what happened to them.
“Despite of all the legal and technical difficulties, we've done all possible things to bring the project back for the grace of all our beloved friends, who supported us all this time, and keep supporting VXHeaven,” reads the statement.
“We would like to thank all the people who helped the project in those darkest times with their donations and just warm words and feelings. Every cent you donated, every bit of message you spreaded did the right and honorable thing! We kept our promise and did survive to serve you knowledge and fight ignorance in the world of digital freedom.”
There’s already a lot of activity on the virus development site, which advertises its activities under the motto “Viruses don’t harm, ignorance does!”
On the other hand, as security expert Graham Cluley highlights, it appears that Ukrainian authorities are more concerned with major organized cybercrime rings than with the old-school virus authors.
“Nevertheless, I still feel that the old-school hobbyists are playing a dangerous game. The distribution and creation of malicious code and hacking tools have become a concern for computer crime authorities around the world, who are unlikely to view such activities kindly,” Cluley noted.