Community weekly poll: Do antivirus software developers create viruses?
- 7/27/05 3:33 PM
reasons for my suspicions
by tireth84 - 11/25/05 5:46 AM In reply to: Do antivirus software developers create viruses? by Marc Bennett
Firstly what kind of person would sit there and create a virus that could potentially damage there own computer as well as others. Fair enough you get people who want to commit fraud and stuff on the net but most of the viruses that go around don't even have them kinda of trojans (do they?).
Secondly they charge a subsciption fee, which is kind of a silly idea, fair enough they need to make their $$$$'s or ££££'s, but think about how many packages are brought each year and how many times the get renewed for something that has more or less the same interface. They need viruses to keep us buying their products!
I havent got a third reason because my brain has stopped working!
Tireth Singh Sohanpal
There is a Possibility, just no Evidence
by Johnwit - 11/26/05 4:29 AM In reply to: reasons for my suspicions by tireth84The industry grew out of a legitimate need to combat viruses, and continued to grow as software companies and individutals wanted to be part of it. Well, growing right along with the anti-virus folks was an expertise for creating viruses. Hold that thought.
The antivirus industry somehow adopted a marketing scheme connected directly to everyones fear that their computer and all their work could be destroyed at any moment. That marketing scheme was the annual subscriptions and depending on your view is either appalling or brilliant. Without the annual subscription the anti-virus business would be based on only upgrading free virus definitions. But why not get paid each and every year to accomplish the same thing?! Why not have the customer pay for the same base software with a new name with some slight adjustments? Holy Business Model Batman!!
Going back the the first paragraph, we have a growing community of the best software jocks knowledgeable in understanding the viruses and writing software code to block them and a thriving business model. A explosive combo indeed. The combination of a business model similar to death and taxes combined with a growing industry of software geeks needs VIRUSES to keep going and growing. Hummmm. This is were my suspicions begin to grow.
The point is there is plenty of motive within the industry and plenty of software geeks willing to be paid big bucks under the table, etc. to have a scam. Remember it only takes a nasty virsus notice in the newspapers to set off a frenzy of business. Of course add to that real attempts by disgrundled former Microsoft employees, etc. So if the virsuses begin to die off well just pay one of the inside folks to stimulate the marketplace with a juicy virus.
I may have just describe a scam model but no evidence and I just happen to be a distrusting person....
Like I believe in Santa?
by dr_no - 11/25/05 5:56 AM In reply to: Do antivirus software developers create viruses? by Marc Bennett
If I were to believe that AV makers write viruses to give themselves jobs, I might as well distrust everyone. I believe they academically write and rewrite virus cores for testing - that's what you hire the smart people for - to at least try and pre-empt the
I don't use AV software because it rarely works when it really counts - when the new viruses hit. And too often, its too late because the better viruses kill off the scanners.
I do download Stinger occasionally to satisfy myself everythings cool and as a backup plan in case someone needs it.
Most of the time, any AV software I have installed for people or on the job has caused me substantial grief with crashes and ongoing problems. New AV systems tend to be overly invasive and inclusive of firewalls and antispyware stuff. I don't like it at all.
Let's face it - the majority of people who get virused don't practice safe 'netting and frequently click on anything that says 'click here'. For them, I say pay the money and save the rest of us from the onslaught of their diseased machines....
Antivirus creators do not need to create viruses
by tcavanagh - 11/25/05 6:14 AM In reply to: Do antivirus software developers create viruses? by Marc Bennett
There are more than enough jerks, sickos, etc. out there creating them. WE NEED TRACEABILITY to the computer that generated the virus. Do I have privacy problems with this? You bet. But I would rather have that than the total anonymity that exists now.
Do Developers also create viruses
by Johnwit - 11/25/05 6:16 AM In reply to: Do antivirus software developers create viruses? by Marc Bennett
Great question. My technical buddies and I have discussed this many times and we think most folks need some reason to create a virus, such as terrorists. But since money drives so much of the industry the door is wide open for the same companies that thrive on antivirus software it has high probability. There is a nice business getting paid over and over annually for software anti-whatever upgrades that they want to keep the ball rolling buy creating threats. It's logical as Spock would say.
I Don't Think So
by Themisive - 11/25/05 6:30 AM In reply to: Do antivirus software developers create viruses? by Marc Bennett
They have quite enough to do to combat irresponsible viruses unleashed on the PC by unscrupulous and downright dishonest people. I have heard in the past of one or two companies that did do this, but they didn't last long, people were soon wise to them.
ANY person who writes viruses, worms or the like should be prepared to face criminal proceedings and the loss of his equipment, includiing internet access. When these people can be "named and shamed", maybe, just maybe we will have an end in sight to this epidemic.
I have suspected this for some time
by normanhe2 - 11/25/05 6:34 AM In reply to: Do antivirus software developers create viruses? by Marc Bennett
Antivirus programs from different companies are not all looking for the same type (or make) of virus.
When you run Norton for E.G. it finds some, then run McCaffee it finds another that Norton never found!!
The same is apparent for registry and spy programs,
none seem to be able to be an allrounder, surprise surprise, but they could be!: The program would just take a little longer to run, which does not matter because we, the punters are running 3 or 4 programs already to obviate any corruption. Solution...do not buy any products and starve them into oblivian, if you dare.
Or catch them at it ( no chance )
So I guess we are stuck with them, unfortunately!!!!
Rgds norman.
High probability,...
by ThurmoNuke - 11/25/05 6:52 AM In reply to: Do antivirus software developers create viruses? by Marc Bennett
... that staff of virus companies may have a little to do with the production of threats that only thier products can resolve,... I once recieved a viruse in a download that for a fraction of a second flashed an advertisement window which I thought was for the McAfee anti-virus product, further investigation located the image and indeed it was,... I was running a Norton product at the time and the virus was not able to be removed without a visit to the McAfee site. The removal was successful, but who really knows who developed the bug, it could have been someone out to make McAfee look like the spawner. Removing a virus with different tools can be informative if you don't mind the troubles.
Suicide
by hunbarb - 11/25/05 7:16 AM In reply to: Do antivirus software developers create viruses? by Marc Bennett
If word ever got out, and it would in the tech industries, that a virus protection logo was actually creating viruses to make themselves look good would be the end of the company. Also the risk they would project to the dumbies who don't have protection or do not keep their dat files current could open the door to the dingies in Washington having cause to convene hearings on the industry as a whole.
Do antivirus software developers create viruses?
by ktn1961 - 11/25/05 7:21 AM In reply to: Do antivirus software developers create viruses? by Marc Bennett
It's hards to tell for sure. On one hand, some antivirus software companies could do so to boost sales of their product for the short-term. But, on the other hand, the risk of being exposed would have damaging effects to the company's long-term sales and life, so they may not want to risk these long term efrfects. A good, reputable company like Norton, may not want to take that risk.
Do antivirus software developers create viruses????
by tabalex - 11/25/05 7:23 AM In reply to: Do antivirus software developers create viruses? by Marc Bennett
I’d like to tell you a short story:
A village carpenter is having dinner with his big family, when they hear someone
knocking at the door. A neighbor from the other side of the village, a poor woman
comes in and starts to cry about holes in her roof and fall bringing the rain, and the following winter.
The carpenter tells his elder son to go and fix this woman’s roof
the very next day and do so properly.
During the next day’s dinner the son proudly reports to the father about his job well done, and expects the father will praise him, however the father just asks him whether he made another hole.
The son looks shocked and asks: ”What about properly fixing the neighbor’s roof? “
The father answers: “ Of course, you can be proud of you job well done, but never forget
about your next day’s dinner!”
Oh yeah! DEFINITELY
by BMC Tackle - 11/25/05 7:25 AM In reply to: Do antivirus software developers create viruses? by Marc Bennett
If there was a company out there paying people money to come up with virus' I would believe otherwise.
Given what it is, I just don't see too many people sitting on a computer for hours on end coming up with a virus just to make other people money!!! What's the point of doing that? If you come up with a dandy virus, I don't think taking credit for it to be in the limelight is wise!
So YES, I do definitely believe that those who sell anti-virus software have a vested interest in virus development, and support such causes. How they do it, well that's another story...
Probably Not
by secretempire1 - 11/25/05 7:29 AM In reply to: Do antivirus software developers create viruses? by Marc Bennett
This seems like it's stretching the truth. All the big virus tracker companies like certain AV companies, and of course the govt, want to find whose letting these viruses go free and hunt them down. If a new virus from, lets say Norton were to be released, the govt could track this new virus to the Symantec Corp. Since Symantec is a big company, it could be in a lot of trouble for doing something like releasing a new virus. I'm not saying that it is impossible, but very unlikely to do something like that provided the consequences are so big. Also, how would they transfer the virus. They woudn't transfer it to a big well-known server because that'd make themselves too obvious and probably crash the server, getting them into even more trouble. Or, they could release the virus by going on their website. Let's see, well I went onto the Norton website and I got this virus. It is also too obvious.
probably not
by bowtie7982 - 11/25/05 7:44 AM In reply to: Probably Not by secretempire1There are enough nuts out there to create havoc without the virus people creating their own problems. They have enough to do to combat the idiots.
Virus makers making viruses????
by rogererickson - 11/25/05 7:47 AM In reply to: Do antivirus software developers create viruses? by Marc Bennett
Hmmmm.....
Funny how they just "happen to have" a cure for the virus right there a few minutes after it's discovered, eh??
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