| Fullname: | MDEF |
| Common Name: | MDEF |
| Technical Name: | MDEF |
| Family: | Unknown |
| Aliases: | Garfield Top Cat |
| Subtype: | Nuisance |
| Isolationdate: | May 1990 |
| Author: | Same author as CDEF |
MDEF was a computer virus affecting Macintosh machines. There are four known strains. The first, MDEF A (aka Garfield), was discovered in May 1990. Strains B (aka Top Cat), C, and D were discovered in August 1990, October 1990, and January 1991, respectively.
MDEF A, B, and C can infect application files and system files, and sometimes document files as well. The D strain will infect only applications. None of the viruses were designed to do damage, but they often do. MDEF D can sometimes damage applications beyond repair.
Quick action by computer security personnel and the New York State Police resulted in identification of the author, a juvenile. This was the same person responsible for writing the CDEF virus.