Too bad I didn't get into this thread earlier this year. Go make yourself some strong coffee cuz this is going to be long post cuz it takes some explain'n... and I like to write colorful so you get the picture without being bored.
Here's the deal, antivirus/colorful stops only a very small percent of "known" colorful. Do a Google search for "Secunia 2008 Report" and do the math. Here... I'll do it for you.
Out of the (12) top security suites, the only stopped on average 3% of the KNOWN malware. Why? Because the bad guys are proving to be way smarter than the good guys. The AV companies can't keep up with them because they don't know how to think and live like criminals.
And you can't turn criminals into good guys just because you catch them. They are not finding Jesus when in their cells. They thinking to themselves "S---, I got careless and f----- up. I'm going to have to be even smarter when I get out of jail." If jail was such a deterrent, they would never have prisoners or such a thing as "repeat offenders."
And if you think you're making out by like a bandit by hiring them to go work for you and they'll be compelled to tell you all their criminal secrets AND tell you where they hid the money they stole...(listen up US government), remember Albert Gonzalez, you hired him to work for you. With these guys on the payroll, your trust factor should be real low and your security risk radar should be finely tuned.
Here's the deal on the good guys... and you know some of you are reading this post.
Good guys do what their bosses tell them, they punch corporate time clocks, they go home and live a pretty average existence.
Need to switch to the bad guys for a bit...
The bad guys love to live on the edge... probably obsessed with cracking new security... maybe stay up days to do it all filled with giddiness when breaking stuff for the land grab... such as beating AV heuristic technology which they've done already and this new form of detection is barely out on the market. They are driven by the thrill of the chase and the financial rewards.
And they throw big elaborate expensive parties! At least the Gonzalez and his band of thieves did until the FBI nabbed them. But they let them steal millions of credit cards and PI before they busted them. Gotta love the swiftness of the government to protect our identities and personal information. Our identities and bank accounts are used as traps to help them set-up half a dozen maybe a dozen bad guys. Few rat because they know when they get out, their ass is grass.
Back to the good guys...
So what incentive do the good guys have to keep them motivated? The worry over job security and evaporating meager bonuses perhaps? See, the slower they work and the more malware out there, the better chance they have at staying employed by SOME AV company.
Consider also...
Most of the malware in distribution is undetectable, variant and polymorphic meaning, the AV companies cannot put a signature on something they can't see of find... kinda like chasing ghosts.
Don't get me wrong. Even if the programs stop so little malware attacks, they serve a good purpose and are needed at a minimum to keep you machine as clean as possible for whatever they can detect, quarantine or remove... and removal is rare in sheer numbers because the bad guys attach some of their nasty stuff to important files and programs your machines needs to operate. Removing all the pieces will f--- your system up royally.
I have AVAST and a few other programs running. It's like the oil in the car. The car can't run on oil... it runs on gas. But eventually, if you fail to keep oil in the car and it burns out, the engine ceases up and now you're stuck with the expense of replacing the engine. Want to replace your computer? Don't use AV.
And I'm not convinced alp freeware is bad. The major companies have locked up the market selling their Kool-Aid hype about how much malware, virus, Trojans, and keyloggers they stop. Don't believe it. Read the Secunia 2008 Report. Some of the freeware out there is just as good. Techie people tend to know what's good and what's not because they're on their computers all the time.
Meanwhile, while your AV companies are taking 28-32 days to find one bad piece of malicious code, give it a signature and a definition, you need to be protected right?
So yes, use those AV programs
but I've got something awesome to share with you guys...and yes, my firm markets it but not to consumers unless you are in the direct selling business.
It's nextgen 'out-of-band' patent-pending keystroke encryption software!
Also has anti-clickjacking alert system AND their "Compromised Driver Alert System" immediately gives you a pop-up warning when it detects a kernel level rogue driver installed on your machine... or if a good driver has been compromised. Even sends the compromised driver location to your MS event log so you know what to look for and remove... if possible. It is truly a magnificent piece of innovative technology. And I'm not easily impressed.
I don't sell to consumers but you can check out my manufacturers who pioneered 'out-of-band' technology. Their consumer website is located at
And no, I don't make anything off my recommendation. I'm just doing my "good samaritan" thing.
Ya'll go out and get yourself a copy! Encrypt every keystroke as you type in a nanosecond. You can bank, shop, browse, do webmail, anything on-line you type is totally encrypted and secure... including URLs.
The bad guys can't steal what they can't see. Don't have to worry about them grabbing your keystrokes and robbing your bank accounts or making fraudulent purchases on your credit and debit cards they hijacked while you were keying them in on-line. At least when you're using your Guarded ID protected computer. Can't guarantee other places your sensitive information resides won't be compromised but damn, do what you can to protect yourself and what you're doing on your computer!
If you want to learn more info from a technical perspective, my websites are for government and businesses. You'll find the Secunia report there also.
Check out:
and my fav site because I like the picture is:
I actually have 8 websites to help promote this awesome security technology in addition to my primary biz site but they all pretty much have the same message.
So Be Info Safe & Secure!
brenda
All Spam links removed - fbs
That neat that you are showing interest in learning more and protecting yourself. More people should do more to protect themselves.
