I read Mark Ludwig's "The Giant Black Book of computer viruses" a few years back.However it is obsolete now and there is no book to fill its place.Although there are good books on writing rootkits, there's no book that focus on writing computer viruses and worms (There is one by springer but it only touches the surface).I think its high time someone should write a book on it.I've started to write one that will focus on both windows and Linux platforms.

Please give me your opinion on the following points-

1.What should be the scope of the book (tell'em'all or just show them the way and leave them to research further).

2.Should the book be based purely on assembly language only or there should be some HLL(c/c++) code in it.Again I prefer the assembly language paradigm since it is almost impossible to do many things in HLL.

3.Should I write such book at all ?

Any other suggestions are welcome.

I don't agree that Ludwig's book is outdated. It's a technical book, and the only thing that has practically changed/evolved is what the viruses are used for (crime), and thus their payloads (spyware) and how they are implanted on user's computers (exploits and/or social engineering, which both fit better in an IT security book), and that doesn't really change or outdate the underlying technology of viruses, which is what Ludwig's book is about.

I think that would be a very good read to have c/c++ and assembler. With working examples basically as Ludwig did in the book "Little black book of computer viruses." But a nice addition would be exploits and rootkits information and/or examples. Good luck with this endeavour, let me know when your finished with it id like to see it myself.

shakuni, who is your target audience?