Community weekly poll: Do antivirus software developers create viruses?
- 7/27/05 3:33 PM
Absolutely Not
by 2000techie - 11/27/05 4:11 PM In reply to: Absolutely not by vincew9298I agree. Too much to lose if an antivirus compamy is found out. There are enough viruses out there in the "Wild".
Isn't Microsoft looking to buy their way into the business?
by jrhmobile - 7/29/05 5:01 AM In reply to: Do antivirus software developers create viruses? by Marc Bennett
And aren't Microsoft and Symantec leaving openings so scumware like Gator et.al. can get in and stay in even if you use their "anti-spyware" products?
I guess one person's spyware is another's market tracking tool ...
Which OS is the problem?: Linux/Unix, Macintosh or Microsoft
by watersdc - 11/25/05 11:27 AM In reply to: Isn't Microsoft looking to buy their way into the business? by jrhmobileThe Linux/UNIX OSs have security built in.
The Macintosh OS have few viruses aimed at them. Classic (9.2.2 and previous) has 80 and, to date, OS X has zero, The latter OS is UNIX based, also.
That leaves Microsoft and I believe the unique viruses signatures being protected against is in the 6 figures.
When Microsoft decided to use Word Basic in its e-mail programs and decided not to follow www.w3.org standards in it web programs (FrontPage, Internet Explorer, etc.), it opened itself up to all the problems it has fostered on its customers.
If Microsoft was as responsible as Apple and the various Linux/UNIX vendors are, there would be no Symantec, McAfee, eTrust, AVG, etc.
On my Apple Mac OS X systems, I use a freeware product called ClamXav and, yes, I sent the programer $15.00 for each copy I installed ,because it is the correct thing to do.
Durand C. Waters
Microsoft is the major problem
by carolina1 - 12/11/05 10:52 AM In reply to: Which OS is the problem?: Linux/Unix, Macintosh or Microsoft by watersdcThey provide the holes and lack of security so that they may abuse our privacy and add unneccessary functions. They argue that it is their popularity that leads to so many viruses, but its the holes that they leave wide open. If I wanted to spread a virus today, then I would write it for Windows Media Player It is made from swiss cheese, so they can track your activities. Why? Look in your email spam boxes.
I run Linux on one drive and Win98 on the other. The Win 98 drive is completely off line from the internet and has run smoothly. XP was a users diaster. I'd go Mac before I'd go back to XP.
definately
by briflack - 11/27/05 7:12 PM In reply to: Isn't Microsoft looking to buy their way into the business? by jrhmobilesee my article posted on 11/27 about microsoft conspiracy
not directly
by howardeprince - 7/29/05 5:03 AM In reply to: Do antivirus software developers create viruses? by Marc Bennett
I think they may fund 3rd parties by proxy so they are not directly involved, but It would not surprise me in the least if some vendor of AV software was caught red-handed doing so.
do anti virus software developers create virus
by irene50 - 7/29/05 5:10 AM In reply to: Do antivirus software developers create viruses? by Marc Bennett
no i do not think anti virus creates virus , if your on line and connected to broadband or cable your like a sitting duck your always on and easy to catch viruses then on dial up ,dial up you can shut the computer down but cable you are on there all the time ready to start up and waiting for viruses for my money id say pay for good anti virus and update definitions when you need to
Router...
by unigamer69 - 8/7/05 8:37 AM In reply to: do anti virus software developers create virus by irene50You're only a sitting duck on an always-on broadband connection if you're sitting there with no firewall... I'm sorry, but if you're on broadband, you need a firewall - and I say you should get a router. Even if you only have one computer... the peace of mind you get from that hardware firewall there (although an admittedly simple and not corporate-grade one) I think is worth the $60 or whatever. And of course if you have multiple computers, laptops with wi-fi, etc., this just makes the case more convincing.
At the very least though, if you're on broadband, you need a software firewall. Even if it's the one Microslop put into XP... if you have nothing, you don't belong on broadband, period.
And IMHO, I think that even dial-up users should have a software firewall nowadays - you can get infected with something in as little as 30 seconds on an unpatched machine, which is well within the time you'd be dialed in. I know that for quite a while when I was on dial-up before switching to cable, I did have a firewall running.
If Antivirus software developers didn't create viruses then
by EvansmediaUSA - 7/29/05 5:10 AM In reply to: Do antivirus software developers create viruses? by Marc Bennett
Karl Rove wouldn't be a Turd Blossom.
there's little doubt in my mind,yes!!! I suspect they do.
by danielboone123 - 7/29/05 5:13 AM In reply to: Do antivirus software developers create viruses? by Marc Bennett
There is plenty of competition in the PC industry,and as we all know,Software to maintain and protect one's investment is increasingly being marketed for our protection.The one's we choose to buy or obtain by any means is dependent mostly on performance and word of mouth.That being said,these software companies I believe,will use any means to endorse and market their products.They have become a necessity for our protection and a tremendous help in saving costly repairs.
Strsnge
by FLATFOOT - 7/29/05 5:14 AM In reply to: Do antivirus software developers create viruses? by Marc Bennett
They mysteriously never issue updates on weekends. If they are not writing virus programs, then they don't really give a damn about protecting people from viruses.
Quite observant of you
by Craigwd_2000 - 7/29/05 6:45 AM In reply to: Strsnge by FLATFOOTVery good observation; most antivirus companies never release updates on the weekend. Personally I think they're too lazy and that we're not getting our money's worth. I would also like to point out that having AV companies create viruses would be like helping the hackers; the key to any good piece of antivirus software is a well written heuristics routine which is what software like AVG AntiVirus and Norton AntiVirus use to catch known or in some cases even new in the wild viruses. If you want my personal advice go to sf.net or sourceforge.net and download ClamAV; it's free and it has done a great job of protecting my Mac; it even finds stuff Norton or McAfee might not ever find (in fact numerous people on Apple's Discussions forums praise ClamXav for this). If you need proof just go to the site I mentioned, search for ClamAV and read the excellent articles that are praising it for being better than even some commercial AV software. Make sure that your antivirus vendor also has a recourse for you to submit virus samples which they may not yet have definitions for. Which leads me to how do I submit a virus which I know I've detected once but does not exist in any known AV virus database? In fact strangely it was that ancient MSAV that detected the virus for me. Is there any way for me to send in MSAV's virus definition/heuristics data for it?
How to send a virus sample off to your Anti Virus Company
by Mel King - 11/26/05 12:14 PM In reply to: Quite observant of you by Craigwd_2000Yes, of course there is a way, an easy way. My Anti Virus company www.eset.com (Nod32 anti virus program) has told me to do it in the following manner. And it has worked twice for me.
Zip the infected file. Password protect the zipped file. Send the zipped file off by e mail to your AV Company as an attachment, telling them that the zipped attachment is infected and giving them the password.
If you do not zip the file and password protect it, it will of course be detected by the various anti-virus parsing agents along the message route and will be deleted, never to arrive at its destination.
Your advice to be sure that your AV company offers to examine virus samples is very good advice. One reason I moved from Norton AV, Norton didn't offer this; another reason is that Norton would never answer any of my requests for support. You need both of these services from your anti virus supplier. The third reason is that you need PROMPT service. When you have a virus you need help fast.
melking
dazed and confused here
by mittens - 11/27/05 7:51 AM In reply to: How to send a virus sample off to your Anti Virus Company by Mel KingWhy would you need to send a sample of a known virus to an AV company in order to have it removed? Norton now and then will ask for it, but they do indeed have a place in their quarantine section for just such a purpose,and it's rare that they will ask.
My understanding of the process was, this is a monitoring device for Norton to keep track of distribution of various viruses.
Norton (and most other AV programs I've seen) don't need a virus sample to tell you how to get rid of it, the help section does just that, if needed, and it's very good; very thorough, even showing you where in the registry to look, etc etc.
Most importantly, the entire purpose of an AV program is to REMOVE the virus, not merely tell you you have one.
Not So - Weekend & Holiday Updates Do Happen
by Bill Thompson - 11/25/05 7:05 AM In reply to: Strsnge by FLATFOOTAVG at least does release updates on weekends and holidays -- and sometimes more than one update per day. Even for their free product. That's one reason I find assurance using their product.
I think there are enough real viruses written and modified that anti-virus writers have enough to do without being part time criminals.
I've never met a programmer worth his salt who didn't have ideas on how to improve the systems they work on, if and when, they find themselves with some spare time.
Volunteer firemen occasionally have been convicted of arson, and there's some merrit to the saying "never say never". So it may imprudent to claim that no anti-virus programmer ever has written one or none ever will. I remember a relative who suddenly engaged in bizarre and very out of character behavior - before he died of a brain tumor.
The world has so many REAL problems worth worrying about: non-sustainable policies are rapidly leading to ecological disaster; incompentent, ignorant and childish political leaders; etc., etc. Why waste time worrying about events of very low priority or probability, instead of doing something about real, critical problems before it's too late?
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