How do malware and viruses get their name?

I do a lot of work with computers for family and friends, including malware and virus removal. I've been doing it forever now, and I have always wondered how malware gets its name.





Do security vendors (McAfee, NOD32, etc.) just give them arbitrary names or do the malware writers name them? Some of them seem fairly strait forward, like the name W32/PoisonIvy.NQ. Others seem like randomly thrown together letters and numbers, which I'm pretty sure some are acronyms.





Any answers are appreciated. :)|||The people at McAfee,NOD32 etc.. just slam there head against the keyboard and wathever is the result of that will be the new virus name.