Thread: AVG Free is getting on my nerves

Originally Posted by Bubba

I don't agree that viruses are no longer a threat. In fact I find that view a bit short sighted and somewhat jumping to conclusions.

I think it's true that viruses have a much harder time spreading today than 10 years ago when people shared software among each other instead of downloading form the internet.

Seriously, where do you people get these viruses? I still hope to see a computer virus, but after spending almost 20 years with computers, I have yet to see one. Coming to think of it, I think my parents computer got infected once about 6 years ago, but I'm not sure.

I cannot verify or deny this claim about game dev but my viruses did show up after browsing the site.

You cannot get viruses from browsing the web, unless you use a really old, buggy and unpatched browser.

he recent hacking we received ought to further solidify the fact that nothing is safe on the internet.

The hacking of this site really doesn't tell us anything about viruses.

I don't know what I'm arguing about, really. Of course some people consider viruses a threat and it's good that AV program exists. I just haven't ever seen the need for it personallty. I do an occasional online scan once a year or so and nothing ever shows up.

>> AVG 8 should be free on the free site.

Heh, so it is. Thanks.

To me, the term "virus" is a self-replicating program that infects other executables. This means that most malware are not viruses, like spyware, trojans, and other programs you get when you download these "additional plugins". There is really no point in making viruses anymore, because there are more efficient ways of spreading bad code.

You can stretch that further and mention the fact a virus self-replication code targets the system memory, to distinguish them from virii-carrying worms.

However modern anti-virus software, while still holding old virus footprints on their database, are essentially anti-malware applications which search for far more than virii. The few "anti-virus" that aren't afraid of making this distinction are often confused by users as not offering good enough protection or are frequently seen on their forums questions like "Should I also install an AV program?".

Going back to virus, if Windows Vista advertised security features prove to be true and their operation doesn't force a user to, as in the past, simply turn them off and log in as administrator, then I agree virii days are numbered. The main reason however they aren't as prevalent as before is twofold in my humble opinion:

- There are easier to code, more devastating, more interesting, alternatives like Trojans, rootkits, backdoor-carrying worms... that is, in the internet age traditional virus make little sense. The interest is in computer access, services relay and spying. I mean, self-replication is not even interesting anymore in a world of content sharing.

- On a surprising inversion of natural laws, virus writers fell behind AV technologies. A virus is hard to write and takes a lot of time and effort, especially the metamorphic ones. And yet, an AV could be updated in a matter of hours after first detection of a new threat. With the explosion of AVs and instant world-wide updates through internet access, virus writing is not a productive activity anymore.

I however completely agree with Bubba. The threats, these new threats, are real. More, new treats can be devised any time which can change our views of security. Ignoring AVs and firewalls is a bad idea, no matter the knowledge involved.

EDIT: Especially firewalls. A Personal Firewall has the potential to stop a new threat even before it was discovered.