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of cynicism and despair, writing viruses was a sort of protest – perhaps against the Communists, possibly against the transitional state, almost certainly against the lack of opportunity and hope. Writing viruses was a form of individualism, of striking out; it was also an opportunity for notoriety.

Since 1988 the Bulgarian virus factory has produced around 200 new viruses. Most have yet to travel; only a few have reached the industrialized West. The scale of the problem will not become apparent until, probably, mid-1992.

Some of those who created the viruses are known, some aren't. The greatest threat remains Bulgaria's most proficient and fearsome virus writer: the Dark Avenger.

The man who was to become known as the Dark Avenger began work on his first virus in September 1988. 'In those days there were no viruses being written in Bulgaria, so I decided to write the first,' he once said. 'In early March 1989 it came into existence and started to live its own life, and to terrorize all engineers and other suckers.'

The Dark Avenger had started work on the virus known as Eddie just weeks before Teodor had sat down to write the first of what became his Vacsina–Yankee Doodle series. Teodor's virus was ready first, but the Dark Avenger's bug was much more malicious and infective. 'It may be of interest to you to know that Eddie is the most widespread virus in Bulgaria. I also have information that Eddie is well-known in the USA, West Germany and the USSR too,' the Dark Avenger once boasted.

The Dark Avenger likes to leave teasing references to his identity in his viruses. As in the Eddie virus, he sometimes 'copyrights' his bugs, and often gives Sofia as the source. The text string 'Diana P.' was assumed to be a reference to his girlfriend – except that Diana isn't a particularly Bulgarian name. It's now thought to be a reference to Diana, Princess of Wales.

The Dark Avenger also likes heavy metal music: the other text string in his first virus, the mysterious 'Eddie lives . . .', apparently refers to the skeletal mascot, Eddie, used by the British heavy metal group Iron Maiden in their stage act.

Heavy metal symbols and motifs run through many of the other

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