It is a trivial exercise in finite automata to show that there is no algorithm t

Question

It is a trivial exercise in finite automata to show that there is no algorithm that can detect all the viruses, yet there are many software companies selling Anti Virus Software.

Is there any part of CS that deals with Viruses and Anti Viruses ?

PS : I am not asking about non CS related justification of to have AV or not, but only what category/subject within CS they come under, if any. If AV is not a subject within CS then that is also an acceptable answer, are there any refrences within CS context to Viruses and AV's?

Explanation / Answer

There is a subarea of computer security called Computer Virology. The Journal of Computer Virology is devoted to the topic. Studying how anti-virus software works only scratches the surface of what the area is about.

For instance, there is even some work applying logic to malware: A General Definition of Malware by S. Kramer and J.C. Bradfield. Journal of Computer Virology (6) 2010.

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