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1260, also known as V2PX, V2P1, and Chameleon, is an early polymorphic DOS file-infecting computer virus written by Mark Washburn in 1990 in the United States. Often recognized as the first known polymorphic virus, it was derived from disassembled Vienna virus code published by Ralf Burger. 1260 is nonresident and infects DOS executable files when an infected program runs, targeting executables in the active and executable-search directories. Its polymorphic design uses encryption and randomized decryption routines, causing successive infections to vary in appearance and frustrating static signature-based detection. The malware does not establish memory-resident persistence; its defining behavior is executable-file infection combined with mutation-based defense evasion.
Mallory pivots from this family to the IOCs, detections, and named campaigns that touch your stack, and pages you when something new lands.
2 distinct techniques documented for this family, organized by ATT&CK tactic.
14 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.
An early polymorphic virus that altered its representation as it propagated, reducing the effectiveness of simple static-signature antivirus detection.
Named 1980s-era malware (listed as part of a historical timeline). No behavior details provided in the content.
Computer virus (only referenced by name in the 1980s malware timeline; no additional details provided).
Polymorphic DOS file-infecting virus that targets .COM executables; uses a cipher and randomizes its decryption routine to vary its signature and evade detection. Infects .COM files in the current directory or directories in PATH when an infected file is executed.
Match every observed IP, domain, and hash against your live telemetry.
Named campaigns wielding this family, with evidence pinned to each claim.
CVEs this family uses for access and lateral movement.
YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.
Every documented technique, ranked by evidence weight.
Reddit, Mastodon, and CTI community discussion around this family.