Purple Mold

The Purple Mold, formally known as Constructor Prototype A-7, is a nanovirus with a presence in many human settlements. It was created by an early nanotech program developed by CORE Nanotech, gone awry. The virus, which was originally intended to act as a construction tool, uses electricity to sustain itself and feed on materials in the environment in order to replicate, especially including technology; it presents as a nuisance, especially to critical infrastructure, technology in homes and businesses, and spacecraft. It is also able to infect the chassis of synthetics, which can pose lethal if not treated; though it is harmless to organics, it can damage cybernetic limbs and implants. This has popularised nanobot-based adaptive "immune systems" for both synths and cyborgs.

The virus appears as a purple "mold", which glows softly and spreads across the surface of devices, making it distinctive and easily identifiable. Its proliferation and comparisons against the behaviour of the Grey Mold from the First Incursion, while not nearly as severe, spurred the regulation of the budding nanotech industry, with the mandatory implementation of safeguards and the extension of Raven's duties to it; however, by that point, it was too late to contain.