https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welchia
Welchia, also known as the “Nachi worm”, is a computer worm that exploits a vulnerability in the Microsoft remote procedure call (RPC) service similar to the Blaster worm. However, unlike Blaster, it first searches for and deletes Blaster if it exists, then tries to download and install security patches from Microsoft that would prevent further infection by Blaster, so it is classified as a helpful worm. Welchia was successful in deleting Blaster, but Microsoft claimed that it was not always successful in applying their security patch.[
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A better analogy to the OP might be… Inserts DNA into a cell that that cell…
Granted, I haven’t been in a biology class in like 7 years but isn’t that how viruses work, and by extensions bacteriophage? I think they use RNA instead of DNA, but that’s pedantic
There are both DNA and RNA viruses. Not all viruses incorporate themselves into the host genome, thus the special term ‘retroviruses’ for those that do.
Woah, I’ve only ever seen ‘retrovirus’ in reference to things like “scientists find retrovirus in ice!” So I totally thought it meant retro virus. I was wrong lol
Truly ‘retro’ viruses are too cool to use the term! It’s such an annoying hipster vibe they give off
HIV is the most famous retrovirus. The reason it’s hard to cure is basically once it goes from bloodstream to the host cells, it adds itself to the host DNA and RNA, then it just replicates with our cells and that our cell will produce more of it.
A retrovirus does transcription in the opposite direction. It’s RNA genome is used as a template to create DNA which is then used to hijack the host cell and replicate the virus. It’s a bit like a cuckoo bird laying it’s egg in the host nest, only once that egg hatches it turns the other eggs into cuckoos as well.
Retroviruses were entirely theoretical prior to HIV, as RNA is famous for being unstable. Anyone who has worked in a genetics lab can tell you how big a PITA RNA can be, as even a heavy bump to the lab bench can ruin an experiment.
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The viral genes can go dormant in your genome until some future event, often significant stress. That’s how chicken poxs become shingles 50+ years later.
The first of these I remember is the “cheese worm” back in the 90s. It closed ports and did some other basic security things and left a message in the sys.log to eat more cheese.
Chaotic good mode enabled.
Based
someone is my hero.
