Polymorphic engine

The MTE or mutation engine is the first polymorphism program generator for computer viruses. The program was written and published in 1992 by the hacker Dark Avenger.

Before the release of the generator most viruses were detected by the check- sums of anti-virus programs. However, the mutation engine made ​​it possible that even beginners viruses were highly polymorphic. This created a big problem for manufacturers of anti-virus software, as new detection methods had to be developed. Some manufacturers were not able to develop this and therefore discontinued the development of their virus scanner.

• Malware