Outmaneuvered at Their Own Game, Antivirus Makers Struggle to Adapt

[Nick]

The antivirus industry has a dirty little secret: its products are often not very good at stopping viruses.


A new study by Imperva, a data security firm in Redwood City, Calif., and students from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology is the latest confirmation of this. Amichai Shulman, Imperva’s chief technology officer, and a group of researchers collected and analyzed 82 new computer viruses and put them up against more than 40 antivirus products, made by top companies like Microsoft, Symantec, McAfee and Kaspersky Lab. They found that the initial detection rate was less than 5 percent.

On average, it took almost a month for antivirus products to update their detection mechanisms and spot the new viruses. And two of the products with the best detection rates — Avast and Emsisoft — are available free; users are encouraged to pay for additional features.

 

[havasu]

It doesn't surprise me about McAfee taking so long to work. He has been too busy hiding after killing his neighbor!

 

[Ernesto]

They all copy each other anyway. Thats how long it takes for them to figure out the others method is all.

Plus, they are the ones who make the viruses in the first place, how do you think they stay in business? What a beautiful business model!

I need a virus that eats carpet. Install carpets, plant trogen that will come to life in a couple years and the carpet falls apart. Then I come back and lay hardwood, cork or other nice flooring.