This project was about creating viruses and antiviruses to investigate and explore data security, shining light on the extreme difficulty in creating an effective antivirus in comparison to the simplicity of malware.

THESIS

Creeper - the first virus

ILOVEYOU - Infected 10% of the internet at the time

AIDS Trojan - First Ransomware

PRECEDENTS

Algorithm

Key: demokey Numkey: 3

Security Analysis

Timeline: This was used around the mid 20th century

But many modern encryptions use this function as a part of a larger algorithm

ENCRYPTION

Not that secure. Because the key repeats and the XOR and shift are the only operations, using a known translation(like a file header) can let people break the encryption. It isn't very easy to do without a significant time investment and computation power however.

؜Convert file data and text key into binary strings

Compare each bit of data with repeating key bits

Output 1 if bits differ, 0 if they match

Shift the binary by the numkey

Convert back to ASCII text

STATE DIAGRAM

Ransomware

Controlware

STATE DIAGRAM

Antivirus

STATE DIAGRAM

؜ANTIVIRUS

1. Scanning of directories and individual files for malicious programs
2. Analyzation of running processes
3. Ability to see what files are being run/accessed/edited
4. Able to monitor network connections(kinda)
5. YARA matching
6. Heuristic and behavioral threat detection
7. Beaconing detection
8. Process whitelisting
9. CPU, memory, disk and network usage analysis
10. 
    

FEATURES

؜CONTROLWARE

1. Able to click and scroll
2. Keys work
3. Encrypted communication
4. Able to handle multiple clients at once

RANSOMWARE

1. Has persistance mechanisms that make the program persist through system restarts and closing of the application
2. Encrypts files with XOR binary shift encryption

FEATURES

PROTOTYPES

PROTOTYPES

PROGRAM DASHBOARD

PROTOTYPES

ACTIVE PROCESS MONITORING

PROTOTYPES

ACTIVE NETWORK MONITORING

PROTOTYPES

؜THREAT ANALYSIS

PROTOTYPES

PROTOTYPES

DETAILED PROGRAM LOGGING

1. Get packet sniffing fully working on the antivirus
2. Make mouse control work on the controlware
3. Expand the ransomware to have slightly better encryption

NEXT STEPS

؜Our project

Messages in Motion is an interactive exhibit that brings the Caesar cipher to life through motion and play.

The cylindrical device has users turn a gear shift at its top, physically adjusting the rotation of internal rings.

As users move the mechanism side to side, they change the how much the amount by which each letter in a message is shifted.

؜We saw this machine on our tour of MIT and decided that we wanted to do something similar, we loved the idea of how it took something complicated and turned it into something more bite sized

Marble Run

Digi-Comp 2

BETTER PHOTO

Precedents

We're using the Caesar Cipher: Inverting the alphabet. Created by Julius Caesar, the benefits are:

1. It is very simple to understand

1. Very visual

1. Well known

talking points:

used from 50bc to 1900s by romans and russians respectively

Feedback

؜Testing results

1. Not bendable enough
2. Tends to lean to the side
3. Rotationally limited

Issues

1. Hard time staying straight
2. Small size
3. Hard to shift

User based challenges

؜Final Tubing

Final Assembly Process

؜Gszmp blf :)

Feedback?

Pictures

Polyalphabetic Cipher

A polyalphabetic cipher is a substitution, using multiple substitution alphabets. The Vigenère cipher is probably the best-known example of a polyalphabetic cipher, though it is a simplified special case. The Enigma machine is more complex but is still fundamentally a polyalphabetic substitution cipher.

Project Thesis

One Name Away is an interactive two-player cipher game inspired by polyalphabetic encryption techniques. The puzzle is designed as a museum exit challenge featuring a rectangular box with rotating letter panels. Each side of the box displays different letters, and at the top, the name "VICTORIA" serves as the cipher key. Players must collaborate to decode a hidden message using the cipher, to solve the puzzle, and "escape" the exhibit. The experience blends cryptography, collaboration, and spatial reasoning in a personalized, immersive format.

Precedents of Encryption Devices

Brit introduces the polyalphabetic cipher, which creates a lighter fingerprint than the Caesar cipher. Created by Brit Cruise.

Cornell Department of Mathematics

Prototypes

؜P1.5

؜P1

؜P1.9

Prototypes

Prototypes

Prototypes

Prototypes

One Name Away

Feedback

This project demonstrates how encryption functions in cyber attacks and defense by creating a ransomware simulator with encrypted LAN communication and a corresponding antivirus detection system using Python and Java. The goal is to understand how cryptographic techniques are weaponized by attackers and leveraged by defenders in real-world cybersecurity scenarios.

Project Thesis

Creeper - the first virus

ILOVEYOU - Infected 10% of the internet at the time

Perplexity Comet AI - Currently spreading via Discord promotional challenges, data scraper

Viral Precedents

AIDS Trojan - First Ransomware

Viral Precedents

McAfee - "Antivirus" that acts more like a virus, including a method to prevent successful uninstallation. Made by presidential candidate and (potentially) murderer John McAfee.

History Reference

AIDS Trojan Ransomware

History Reference

AIDS Trojan Ransomware

The AIDS Trojan was a virus disguised as information on AIDS, which would include information on AIDS, your risk of AIDS, and recommendations based on your risk level.

Upon 90 computer restarts, the software would encrypt all system file names on the C: drive, demanding money for the decryption of said files.

Algorithm

Key: demokey Numkey: 3

Security Analysis

Timeline: This was used around the mid 20th century

But many modern encryptions use this function as a part of a larger algorithm

Encryption Method

Not that secure. Because the key repeats and the XOR and shift are the only operations, using a known translation(like a file header) can let people break the encryption. It isn't very easy to do without a significant time investment and computation power however.

؜Convert file data and text key into binary strings

Compare each bit of data with repeating key bits

Output 1 if bits differ, 0 if they match

Shift the binary by the numkey

Convert back to ASCII text

State Diagram

Full State Diagram

Ransomware

Controlware

؜We want to create physical representations of common uses for encryption in cybersecurity. An explanation of trojans could use the classic story of troy, different types of encryption could have different physical representations like bit shifting is really easy to show with letter or number tiles.

Museum Exhibit Proposal

Museum Exhibit Precedents

MIT Museum Community Wall

؜Previous OI Project: Minecraft Computing

Prototypes

Prototypes

Next Steps

1. Finish up the controlware
2. Polish the ransomware
3. Start on the demos for each virus
4. Create a input mechanism
5. Improve the encryption massively

Feedback