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Value of Traditional Antivirus Software Questioned

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Malware creators will always be one step ahead, they are the guys who design the things to get around what's protecting their target.

Hell, even I made a decompression bomb with a self-extracting 7zip package packaged with 26tb of stuff (Compressed to 15kb) and just set it to -s so there was no main window. (I didn't send it out or anything, I'm just experimenting for personal fun)

Technically that isn't a virus but it's equally as devastating to system performance.


Back on topic, Antivirus software like Avast (which has live streaming of cloud updates) is pretty good as long as the team behind developing the protective detection method is fast at finding samples to detect against.
 
Bad guys always have the advantage in that they are inherently better able to react proactively than good guys. A virus or malware maker only has to find a little hole to worm their way through. To protect yourself you have to be right every time. As has come up countless times in the comment sections of these types of stories, it's not enough to just say "stay away from bad websites". Malware and virus makers are smarter than that. The sophisticated ones find means of infecting legitimate websites. They find clever means of executing in banner adds or on the launch of a website. Virus protection should always be about both being smart and being safe. Don't click on every link you see, don't open stupid junk mail, and get a decent, basic, virus program to help you against the stuff that you might otherwise miss. These virus companies definitely, definitely, need to step up their game and do a better job of getting ahead of the curve whenever they can.
 
Thank you for acknowledging the obvious. In both my long, illustrious IT career and person life, every virus-ridden Windows PC I've ever encountered did in fact have antivirus installed. Antivirus are mostly there to give you false positives, so you can feel like they did something.

What i have yet to see in over a decade is an infected Linux machine of any kind, and those almost never have antivirus. (and no, willfully installing onto an Android phone a wallpaper app that requests the ability to send email, and then the starts sending spam is not a virus, that's user stupidity). Although I'm told it's theoretically possible and these viruses might maybe exist in the wild somewhere, LMFAO.
 
people just need to learn how to use computers and the internet, and accept the fact that there isn't, and will never be, a perfect anti-virus/malware team/program. the attackers have an intrinsic advantage in that they only need to find ONE loophole in your defense, where-as the defenders gotta plug all the holes.

An anti-virus can be good, with a good team, it can catch new stuff quickly and prevent it from spreading too far, but there's no way to stop that initial wave of infected computers.
 
[citation][nom]drosencraft[/nom]As has come up countless times in the comment sections of these types of stories, it's not enough to just say "stay away from bad websites". Malware and virus makers are smarter than that. The sophisticated ones find means of infecting legitimate websites. They find clever means of executing in banner adds or on the launch of a website. Virus protection should always be about both being smart and being safe. Don't click on every link you see, don't open stupid junk mail, and get a decent, basic, virus program to help you against the stuff that you might otherwise miss. These virus companies definitely, definitely, need to step up their game and do a better job of getting ahead of the curve whenever they can.[/citation]

If I recall, NY times website had an advertisement that was infected with a drive-by-download malware months ago. And I've seen school websites that were hacked and injected with java exploits.
 
Wow, what a revelation that careless users frequenting sleazy sites are not fully protected by their anti-virus and malware software. Who would have known?

I guess if they don't work anyway, that's a very good reason to use the free versions.
 
[citation][nom]i wrote teh herpes virus[/nom]What i have yet to see in over a decade is an infected Linux machine of any kind, and those almost never have antivirus. (and no, willfully installing onto an Android phone a wallpaper app that requests the ability to send email, and then the starts sending spam is not a virus, that's user stupidity). Although I'm told it's theoretically possible and these viruses might maybe exist in the wild somewhere, LMFAO.[/citation]

you realize that the only reason that there are few linux viruses is because it's not worth a hacker's time to write on? it's much more profitable to infect say windows 7 or now any popular mac OS
 
[citation][nom]i wrote teh herpes virus[/nom]Thank you for acknowledging the obvious. In both my long, illustrious IT career and person life, every virus-ridden Windows PC I've ever encountered did in fact have antivirus installed. Antivirus are mostly there to give you false positives, so you can feel like they did something.

What i have yet to see in over a decade is an infected Linux machine of any kind, and those almost never have antivirus. (and no, willfully installing onto an Android phone a wallpaper app that requests the ability to send email, and then the starts sending spam is not a virus, that's user stupidity). Although I'm told it's theoretically possible and these viruses might maybe exist in the wild somewhere, LMFAO.[/citation]

Linux's market share: Too small for hackers to waste their time on.

Average Linux user: On avg more computer literate because it's easier for the general public to purchase a Windows/Mac computer than a Linux computer.

And there's been malware appliances that bypassed all of the security/privacy settings and did whatever they wish on your phone without letting you know.
 
Linux's market share: Too small for hackers to waste their time on.
Click to expand...

Not only that, but from what I've read, certain hackers are reluctant to target Unix/Unix-like systems for some reason, like it is an act of betrayal or something. So, you take the relatively small target, add it to these reluctant hackers, and you now have an extremely small group of people who would even consider going after Linux. Then, you have to wonder if any of these small groups have the skill needed to attack a Linux exploit.
 
I agree, Wolfgang's little article here is refreshingly like news instead of the author's opinion. Well done!

I have long thought of the typical good antivirus programs we use as filters that stop the most common infections; I don't think they should be seen as more than that. Real security requires real work, not just an addon program, but an in-house effort to keep the smart guys at bay.

Of course, one of the best anti-malware things you can do is only allow programs to run on your computer that YOU started. Unfortunately, many people can't be bothered with a couple of extra mouse clicks, and turn off things like Window's UAC. Doing that is like saying "Sure, come into my house and do whatever you like, it's all good by me! Take my TV screen, my fridge, anything you want!"

The worst program offenders though aren't anti-malware programs that let things in, it's browsers designed specifically to allow people to run programs on your computer without you even knowing. While they have been improved in protecting us to some degree, their very nature means that hackers/crackers have an invitation they shouldn't have.

 
Many new anti-Malware software providers are responsible for most Malware and viruses to begin with. It is their way to make you fear that your current provider sucks and you should buy their product or multiple products in an attempt to feel safer. Most users don't realize that the safest way to use their computer is to not do anything questionable in the first place. Don't go to suspicious websites, don't look at porn all day, and don't open any email unless you definitely know the sender. I've occasionally used Norton and Avast and never found any real threats before. I've only had 2 viruses and 1 worm in 10 years. Since I usually reformat my PC and reinstall Windows every year, and use the web responsibly, I don't see the need for all this anti-Malware nonsense that usually is, in itself, Malware.
 
How about not learning about safety from viruses and malwares but identify and jail the makers like common criminals they are.
 
I see the Microsoft PR brigade is out in full swing.

Linux doesn't have enough marketshare for hackers to care? So having practically every web server isn't enough for them to care? So the Akamai servers all running Linux that the microsoft.com Windows servers hide behind aren't a big enough target? So every single google.com, facebook.com and twitter.com server running Linux isn't a big enough target?

Since Linux powers virtually every internet facing server on the planet, rest assured that it's a plenty big enough target. If it were possible to hack it, people would already be doing so. An internet that works and is secure, courtesy of Linux. You're welcome, you ungrateful simpletons.
 
[citation][nom]taarget[/nom]I see the Microsoft PR brigade is out in full swing. Linux doesn't have enough marketshare for hackers to care? So having practically every web server isn't enough for them to care? So the Akamai servers all running Linux that the microsoft.com Windows servers hide behind aren't a big enough target? So every single google.com, facebook.com and twitter.com server running Linux isn't a big enough target?Since Linux powers virtually every internet facing server on the planet, rest assured that it's a plenty big enough target. If it were possible to hack it, people would already be doing so. An internet that works and is secure, courtesy of Linux. You're welcome, you ungrateful simpletons.[/citation]

OMG cause you think "Linux Server" has to endure the same has "Linux Consumer" ? 99% of the windows virus replicate with the intervention of the user, windows by itself if probably close to 99.9% virus proof, it's when users start downloading things from all over the net, going to shady websites and installing less legal applications that things go wrong, also many of windows virus rely on the user and on application exploits. I'm not saying the Windows is safer than Linux I'm just saying that when people compare Linux and Windows or Mac OS they speak of PC OS not Server OS.
 
Most antivirus software is junk. >90% of the time I spend chasing down a virus its a false positive, and I normally have 10+ reports a week. If you want to keep your users safe, put their web browser in a virtual desktop and stream that to them via citrix or apply whitelisting.
 
Yeah, no viruses on Unix/Linux systems... instead you get a crap ton of security exploits being constantly built. So much better. :\

Regardless, Hide and Disable code for anti-viruses has become prevalent on basic viruses, so traditional anti-virus is mostly useless nowadays to protect users from bad decisions. You could also go so far to say that traditional anti-virus will not do its job if you are using technologies that do not have a good safety track record (like java, which is required software on many name brand PCs).

Run a boot CD anti-virus every couple of weeks.
 
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