A logic bomb is a piece of code intentionally inserted into a software system that will set off a malicious function when specified conditions are met. For example, a programmer may hide a piece of code that starts deleting files (such as the salary database), should he ever leave the company.^[1] In communications, a code is a rule for converting a piece of information (for example, a letter, word, or phrase) into another form or representation, not necessarily of the same type. ... Computer software (or simply software) refers to one or more computer programs and data held in the storage of a computer for some purpose. ... A computer file is a collection of information that is stored in a computer system and can be identified by its full path name. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... In computing , a database can be defined as a structured collection of records or data that is stored in a computer so that a program can consult it to answer queries. ...

Software that is inherently malicious, such as viruses and worms, often contain logic bombs that execute a certain payload at a pre-defined time or when some other condition is met. This technique can be used by a virus or worm to gain momentum and spread before being noticed. Many viruses attack their host systems on specific dates, such as Friday the 13th or April Fool's Day. Trojans that activate on certain dates are often called "time bombs". A computer virus is a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer without permission or knowledge of the user. ... This is about the computer worm. ... In cargo transport, the payload is the valuable contents of the vehicle. ... A Friday occurring on the 13th day of any month is considered to be a day of bad luck in English, German and Portuguese-speaking cultures around the globe. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

To be considered a logic bomb, the payload should be unwanted and unknown to the user of the software. As an example, trial programs with code that disables certain functionality after a set time are not normally regarded as logic bombs.

Historic logic bombs

• In June 1992, a defense contractor General Dynamics employee, Michael Lauffenburger, was arrested for inserting a logic bomb that would delete vital rocket project data. It was alleged that his plan was to return as a highly paid consultant to fix the problem once it triggered. Another employee of the company stumbled upon the bomb before it was triggered. Lauffenburger was charged with computer tampering and attempted fraud and faced potential fines of $500,000 and jail time,^[2] but was ultimately fined $5,000^[3].
• In February 2000, Tony Xiaotong, indicted before a grand jury, was accused of planting a logic bomb during his employment as a programmer and securities trader at Deutsche Morgan Grenfell. The bomb had a trigger date of 20 July 2000, and was discovered by other programmers in the company. Removing and cleaning up after the bomb allegedly took several months.
• In June 2006 Roger Duronio, a disgruntled systems administrator for UBS was charged with using a "logic bomb" to damage the company's computer network, and with securities fraud for his failed plan to drive down the company's stock with activation of the logic bomb.^[4][5][6] Duronio was later convicted and sentenced to 8 years and 1 month in prison, as well as a $3.1 million restitution to UBS.^[7]

General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) is a defense conglomerate formed by mergers and divestitures, and as of 2005 it is the sixth largest defense contractor in the world[1]. The company has changed markedly in the post-Cold War era of defense consolidation. ... A grand jury is a type of jury, in the common law legal system, which determines if there is enough evidence for a trial. ... J. S. Morgan & Co. ... A system administrator is a person responsible for running, or running some aspect of, a computer system. ... UBS AG (NYSE: UBS; SWX:UBSN; TYO: 8657 ) is a financial services company, headquartered in Basel and Zürich, Switzerland. ...

Fictional logic bombs

• The Tom Clancy book Debt of Honor features a logic bomb installed in the code of various Stock Market computers.
• Hugh Jackman's character in Swordfish, Stanley Jobson, claims to have "dropped a logic bomb through the trapdoor" while hacking into a Department of Defense network.
• In two episodes of the first season of the 2004 version of the TV series Battlestar Galactica, the Cylons leave a logic bomb in the Battlestar Galactica ship computers after briefly gaining access to them.
• In the CIA level of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, a conversation can be heard with a refrence to a logic bomb.

Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. ... Debt of Honor (1994) is a novel by Tom Clancy. ... A stock market is a market for the trading of company stock, and derivatives of same; both of these are securities listed on a stock exchange as well as those only traded privately. ... Hugh Michael Jackman (born October 12, 1968) is an Australian film producer, film and stage actor, known for playing Wolverine in X-Men and its sequels, and his Tony Award-winning performance in The Boy from Oz. ... Swordfish (sometimes referred to as Password: Swordfish or Operation: Swordfish) is a cyberpunk-action/thriller film released on June 8, 2001. ... The United States Department of Defense, abbreviated DoD or DOD and sometimes called the Defense Department, is a civilian Cabinet organization of the United States government. ... Battlestar Galactica is a science fiction television program created by Ronald D. Moore that first aired on October 18, 2004 in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Sky One, and January 14, 2005 in the United States on the Sci Fi Channel. ... Old Cylon Centurion shown in a museum display in the 2003 Battlestar Galactica miniseries The Cylons are a fictional race of bio-mechanical beings appearing in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series. ... The Battlestar Galactica is a fictional spaceship and the primary setting in the original Battlestar Galactica television series and film, and its subsequent ongoing re-imagining in 2003. ... An image from the original Splinter Cell Splinter Cell is a series of video games endorsed by American author Tom Clancy. ...

See also

• Backdoor
• Easter Eggs

A backdoor in a computer system (or cryptosystem or algorithm) is a method of bypassing normal authentication or securing remote access to a computer, while attempting to remain hidden from casual inspection. ... The first easter egg. ...

References

1. ^ Man accused of crashing UBS servers
2. ^ [1]
3. ^ Logic bombs, Part 1
4. ^ Man accused of crashing UBS servers | The Register
5. ^ Nightmare On Wall Street: Prosecution Witness Describes 'Chaos' In UBS PaineWebber Attack - News byy InformationWeek
6. ^ Are Background Checks Necessary For IT Workers? Ask UBS PaineWebber - VARBusiness
7. ^ [2]