AVG virus software fails to detect viruses!!!

  • Thread starter Thread starter half_pint
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half_pint

AVG virus software fails to detect viruses!!!

I ran a virus scan today with an uptoday version
of AGV 6 virus software. Fine, no viruses detected.
I then decided to run it on my old hard drive (d:)which
I had connected as a slave drive.
Result virus found!!!

This was a surprise because my old drive was a copy
of my current drive!!!
Anyway the virus/trojan was "startpage" or startpage.DG
or whatever it is called (it's 'harmless' one), it
was hiding in
d:\program files\common files\microsoft shared\msinfo\msinfo.exe
(57,244 bytes)

I then went back to my c: drive and checked in this location and
sure enough the same file was there and it was reported as a virus
with an *individual* AGV file scan.
I was a bit shocked at this so I ran a complete check on my c:drive
again (Opened AGV and clicked 'run complete test' (although it appears
to only check your main drive anyway!) and it ran its check on
drive c:, - result - no viruses found!! even though an individual
check on the file (which I did not remove) shows it to be a
virus/trojan!!.

So it appears AGV virus software is *serioously* flawed!!!!

I believe I knew about this virus for some time as I had removed
most of it before with some anti-hijack software so it did not
affect my computer.

However I was shocked to discover that AGV's virus scan missed it
completely!
AGV's anti virus appears to have a *serious* flaw in it.
 
half_pint said:
AVG virus software fails to detect viruses!!!
d:\program files\common files\microsoft shared\msinfo\msinfo.exe
(57,244 bytes)
--
regards half_pint.
Click to expand...

Thinking about how programs work - it's hard to imagine the kind of bug that
would work differently on different drives. I wonder if the msinfo.exe file
is "in use", so can't be locked, and thus tested for a virus when it's on
drive C - but of course as a copy isn't in use, so can be checked - perhaps
in use before AVG even gets a look-in. Something of that sort, but as you
say, worrying.

Geoff.
 
Geoff Phillips said:
Thinking about how programs work - it's hard to imagine the kind of bug that
would work differently on different drives. I wonder if the msinfo.exe file
is "in use", so can't be locked, and thus tested for a virus when it's on
drive C - but of course as a copy isn't in use, so can be checked - perhaps
in use before AVG even gets a look-in. Something of that sort, but as you
say, worrying.
Click to expand...

I actually did make a copy before I ran it again on the C: drive in case
AGV found it (It tends to delete viruses automatically when it finds
them during a scan without asking you first, however if you
check the file individually it doesn't delete it - bit inconsistant).

I also noticed it reported scanning about 1gigabyte on my C: drive
when I know 2 gigs are in use!!!!! (Thats about a gig worth of
'virus' not scanned!!).
I noticed this 'under reporting' before but I never really took
much notice of it at the time.
When I scanned my old d: drive it reported 1.4ish gig which
seemed ok for a 2gig drive with 530 meg free.


If it is reading files it doesn't matter if they are in use anyway.
 
"">
"> AVG virus software fails to detect viruses!!!
"> d:\program files\common files\microsoft shared\msinfo\msinfo.exe
"> (57,244 bytes)
">


this is a very good reason to use a dos based scanner in conjunction
with a windows scanner!
 
yar said:
"">
"> AVG virus software fails to detect viruses!!!
"> d:\program files\common files\microsoft shared\msinfo\msinfo.exe
"> (57,244 bytes)
">


this is a very good reason to use a dos based scanner in conjunction
with a windows scanner!
Click to expand...

You can always *read* files in use.


 
Welcome, brother, to the "League of Ex-AVG Users".

Now go out and get Kaspersky.
 
half_pint took the time to write...:
AVG virus software fails to detect viruses!!!

I ran a virus scan today with an uptoday version
of AGV 6 virus software. Fine, no viruses detected.
I then decided to run it on my old hard drive (d:)which
I had connected as a slave drive.
Result virus found!!!

This was a surprise because my old drive was a copy
of my current drive!!!
Anyway the virus/trojan was "startpage" or startpage.DG
or whatever it is called (it's 'harmless' one), it
was hiding in
d:\program files\common files\microsoft shared\msinfo\msinfo.exe
(57,244 bytes)

I then went back to my c: drive and checked in this location and
sure enough the same file was there and it was reported as a virus
with an *individual* AGV file scan.
I was a bit shocked at this so I ran a complete check on my c:drive
again (Opened AGV and clicked 'run complete test' (although it appears
to only check your main drive anyway!) and it ran its check on
drive c:, - result - no viruses found!! even though an individual
check on the file (which I did not remove) shows it to be a
virus/trojan!!.

So it appears AGV virus software is *serioously* flawed!!!!

I believe I knew about this virus for some time as I had removed
most of it before with some anti-hijack software so it did not
affect my computer.

However I was shocked to discover that AGV's virus scan missed it
completely!
AGV's anti virus appears to have a *serious* flaw in it.
Click to expand...

Have you got a check the "scan system areas" box from
Test manager, right click the test in question, edit, Scan Details ??
 
You get what you pay for.


billy_bunter said:
half_pint took the time to write...:


Have you got a check the "scan system areas" box from
Test manager, right click the test in question, edit, Scan Details ??
Click to expand...
 
I believe I knew about this virus for some time as I had removed
most of it before with some anti-hijack software so it did not
affect my computer.

However I was shocked to discover that AGV's virus scan missed it
completely!
AGV's anti virus appears to have a *serious* flaw in it.
Click to expand...


Perhaps the removal tool you used only "cleaned" the virus, leaving the file
itself still there.
Run the removal tool again and see if it finds it.

Bob
 
A shitty anti-virus which ignores fault reports unless it comes
from a paying customer!!

--
---------------
regards half_pint

K2NNJ said:
You get what you pay for.
Click to expand...
 
If it is reading files it doesn't matter if they are in use anyway.[/QUOTE]
I hear what you are saying, but there's been times when I've written code
(nothing to do with viruses) that checks that a file is "finished with", i.e
after an application I didn't control had completed writing to it, even
though my only interest was reading.

So just because it's not logically necessary, doesn't mean AVG doesn't do
it. It might want to lock it, in case it subsequently needs to modify it.

Geoff.
 
I hear what you are saying, but there's been times when I've written code
(nothing to do with viruses) that checks that a file is "finished with", i.e
after an application I didn't control had completed writing to it, even
though my only interest was reading.

So just because it's not logically necessary, doesn't mean AVG doesn't do
it. It might want to lock it, in case it subsequently needs to modify it.
[/QUOTE]

It would be rather badly written code then, in my humble opinion.
 
Welcome, brother, to the "League of Ex-AVG Users".
Now go out and get Kaspersky.
Click to expand...

What can I say but... that about says it.

I used AVG when it was first released because it had a small footprint
and worked (for the most part). NAV and Mcafee continue to grow in
footprint and uselsss features. It is obious they spend as much money
wooing the illiterates as they do combating malware. The sofware is
now a massive bloated system hog that is almost impossible to unistal.
(hrmm keeps people from jumping ship?).

In any case AVG has ventured down this road with version 7! Can't
wait to see version 8!

I am an IT proffesional and am looking for a product to recomend to
all of my clients. NOD32 seems to look fairly good as does Kaspersky.
Hoefully they won't follow the bloat peddlers lead in the near
future. AV sofware should and can be very simple and resource
freindly.

Bye Bye AVG, you have made it to the big time and in the process left
the real computer users behind.

BTW I am(was) an AVG reseller!

Bill
 
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