Is it legal to sell malware without the intention to use it?

I was wondering if it is legal to sell malware, like computer viruses, keyloggers and stuff, if i am not the one using it. I write the programs myself and at the end of the day they are still just computer applications that i'd be selling.





I am aware of the moral implications of this action, so please spare me the lectures; What i want to know is if it's legal.





Any knowledge on the matter would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks in advance.|||Whats up with people hating on this guy? He's asking a fair question politely and its clear he's made his mind up about what he wants to do - there's no reason not to answer him.





It is legal.





A lot of malware distribution methods are very elegant, I'd be interested in seeing some of your scripts if you're of a mind to show them.





I think you'll find viruses in their purest form are illegal to distribute no matter how you do it. You can't sell something that specifically destroys data. I believe some rootkits fall into this category as well due to the way they can manipulate MS core files, though you would have to find someone more knowledgeable to confirm. Botnet creation kits or c%26amp;c server's are also in this category as far as i know.





Trojan droppers (for the purposes of reporting things like website usage / purchasing trends etc) are legal as well, as are various other sniffers of that nature.





If you write new virii/worms with no copied code you could probably sell to one of the major antivi companies for dissection and patch creation. Helps them stay a step ahead of the viruses in the wild.





Maybe you could try wiki-ing some of the more annoying malware's out there? I'm sure these are legal companies, whether they sell crapware or not.





Hope that helps.|||Hi, as long as you sell it with intention of a study or development in that field, then there is no problem,





Please note that developers Anti Virus applications study and research about viruses and then find a solution to stop that virus.|||If you don't want the lectures then don't come onto a public forum and ask questions like that.





Why would anyone here help you to sell your scummy, underhand and dishonest cr4pware?





Go away.|||Sadly it is legal.





Go code anti-viruses though - those are actually helpful.