Clinton Haines Explained

Clinton Haines
Other Names:Harry McBungus
TaLoN
Terminator-Z
Birth Date:10 April 1976
Birth Place:Brisbane, Australia
Death Place:Saint Lucia, Queensland, Australia
Nationality:Australian
Occupation:Hacker

Clinton 'Clint' Haines (10 April 1976 – 10 April 1997) was an Australian computer hacker. He was also known as Harry McBungus, TaLoN and Terminator-Z.[1]

Haines attended Ipswich Grammar School. He wrote his first computer virus in assembly language using the A86 assembler in the early 1990s.

Haines was responsible for the viruses NoFrills, Dudley,[2] X-Fungus/PuKE, Daemaen and 1984. NoFrills infected the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).[3] It was described by anti-virus company manager Len Grooves as "totally unimpressive". Grooves added: "This is a very average virus...It could have been written by any first-year computer student. In fact, it had serious design faults and programming bugs. I would not hire the writer."[3] Nevertheless, the ATO decided to turn off all of its 15,000 computers until the virus was eradicated, to avoid the infection spreading.

His virus Dudley also infected the computers of Telecom Australia), shutting down their system in two hours. The Dudley virus was a variant of the No Frills code with the text [Oi Dudley!][PuKE].

Haines died from a heroin overdose in 1997,[4] [5] in Saint Lucia, Brisbane,[6] celebrating his 21st birthday. At the time of his death he was completing an undergraduate science degree in microbiology at the University of Queensland.[6] A computer virus was written in his honour (RIP Terminator-Z by VLAD).[1] The virus, named 'Memorial', pays acknowledgement to Haines by placing a message on an infected user's screen.[7]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20161018215632/http://newsstore.smh.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?page=1&sy=smh&kw=the+hacker+who+burned+to+bright&pb=all_ffx&dt=selectRange&dr=entire&so=relevance&sf=text&sf=headline&rc=10&rm=200&sp=nrm&clsPage=1&docID=news970428_0027_0307 . The hacker who burned too bright . Robotham . Julie . 28 April 1997 . . 18 October 2016 . dead.
  2. 28 May 1995 Computer underground Digest Volume 7 : Issue 43.
  3. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20160304035907/http://newsstore.smh.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?page=1&sy=smh&kw=no+frills+virus&pb=all_ffx&dt=selectRange&dr=entire&so=relevance&sf=text&sf=headline&rc=10&rm=200&sp=nrm&clsPage=1&docID=news950307_0016_9452 . Take a pill and don't call us in the morning . Lowe . Sue . Robotham . Jule . Sarno . Tony . 7 March 1995 . . 4 March 2016 .
  4. Web site: The hacking hall of fame . Lowe . Sue . 27 October 1998 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20170817212101/http://newsstore.smh.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac;jsessionid=07D93153F9E0CFD8D9D8670B8D95D034?page=1&sy=smh&kw=%22Clinton+Haines%22&pb=all_ffx&dt=selectRange&dr=entire&so=relevance&sf=text&sf=headline&rc=10&rm=200&sp=nrm&clsPage=1&docID=news981027_0372_6021 . 17 August 2017 . dead.
  5. News: Live fast, die young: Obsessed by viruses and heroin. Julie Robotham. 1997-05-06. Sydney Morning Herald. https://web.archive.org/web/20070226193507/http://www.soci.niu.edu/%7Ecrypt/other/haines2.htm. 26 February 2007. dead.
  6. Web site: Death of the virus king . Robotham . Julie . 5 May 1997 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20170817230631/http://newsstore.smh.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?page=1&sy=smh&kw=Death+of+the+virus+king+&pb=all_ffx&dt=selectRange&dr=entire&so=relevance&sf=text&sf=headline&rc=10&rm=200&sp=nrm&clsPage=1&docID=news970505_0100_6002 . 17 August 2017 . dead.
  7. http://www.f-secure.com/v-descs/clint.shtml F-Secure Virus Descriptions : Memorial

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