Many end users are unable to know the difference without much more training. It's becoming quite confusing, and at any turn unvalidated code can be malicious. That group of software that claims to be scanning software which does more than look for malicious code is also in this category. So we need either a new term, or be satisfied that the generic use of the term 'virus' fits such code.Īn example would be a screen saver that does it's work when the computer is idle and the screen saver itself has been run on the user's command to do so.

It runs as a user program, and did not necessarily 'infect' the machine, yet is a virus by the definition that it has modified an executable. Social engineering allows code writers to get their code run by the user in a way that is neither stealthy or without their knowledge. Always will be.Īctually, IMO we are in need of another category of malicious software. Soon, you'll need a multicore CPU just to handle real time scanning. Sadly, you'll have some pretty incredibly long scan times to find some types of malicious software: none of this 45 minute scan by Symantec etc. hmmmmm They are seeing more sophisticated virus programs now, and fortunately beginning to look for them. If a virus program did some key logging for bank URLs then spread itself a bit, then self destructed. All of this is just hinting at the real problems: The virus programs we don't know about. Every now and then we hear about some corporate espionage or attacks from state military groups etc. I know you have not done forensics on all existent computers. Since they are not destructive to normal computer activity, they go undetected.

Some of the best virus programs in the world are still out in the wild, running as they were intended to run, collecting and passing information as they are supposed to. The real trouble with anti-virus vendors is that they tend to convince people that once their product is installed, the end user's pc is safe. It's more or less a case of putting up a wall and telling the world, there, you can't get past this wall now. The harder anti-virus vendors bleat on about how good their product is, the more bragging rights a virus writer will get for walking around the security. The fact that they exist is tantamount to admitting that no OS can be fully secured. They certainly use virus news to justify their existence and the cost of their products.

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