Windows 'fails' active virus test (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

Security tools that work with Windows Vista have failed tests to see if they can detect viruses circulating online.

Microsoft's Windows Live OneCare security tool was one of four products that failed independent tests carried out by the Virus Bulletin.

The security testing group found that Live OneCare missed far more active viruses than any other program tested.

To pass the tests anti-virus tools must spot and stop 100% of the malicious programs used to attack them.
***
Other anti-virus products that failed the tests included G-Data AntiVirusKit, McAfee VirusScan Enterprise 8.51 and Norman Virus Control 5.90.
***
more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6331959.stm

[UndertheOcean]

1. Get Ubuntu instead of the Vista crap!

http://www.ubuntu.com/

[Pierre.Suave]

2. Or

Mac OSX.

[KittyWampus]

3. My iMac has a program to generate cartoons, too!

so much fun.

[Sherman A1]

4. Agreed

as I type away happily on my Mac...

[Pierre.Suave]

13. me too

virus free...

[Dean Martin]

19. My next one will be an Imac

If I get enough cash to buy a pc again.

[Sherman A1]

28. I have been very happy with the ones I have owned

for many years (since the early 90's). Yes, eventually time and technology pass them by and I have had a bad crash, but nothing compared to the nonsense of updates every time I turn the Windows XP - PC on. If cash is tight and I know that all too well myself, check around and see if there a store selling used Mac's. Another option is to wait until the major electronic stores have their 24 Month + 0% financing deals and use their money, which is how I buy all my major electronics. Pay it off monthly and one month early and they get no interest charges from you. President's Day Sales of that type should be next week so take a look.

[Dean Martin]

33. How do the Imacs handle the Microsoft programs?

I first learned how to use a pc on an Apple in the early 80s at a public library, and I just sat down and taught myself, it was so easy using the Apple menu system. I've never owned or seen a Microsoft/IBM based pc where one could do that.

To me the whole point of getting an Imac would be to stay the hell away from anything Microsoft. However, I see that may not be possible. How does the Microsoft stuff run on Imacs? Does the Microsoft software available screw up Imacs like it usually does pc's?

[Sherman A1]

36. I would suggest a trip

to the apple web site and look at their stuff.. The commercials are just plain funny as well and periodically I have to watch all of them. If there are not enough answers there for you, contact an Apple Retail store or try the guys at CompUSA maybe, depending upon where you live. My technical expertise is very limited -- I just want the thing to run and not make me jump through a bunch of hoops to do so. I don't run Windows on my Mac, I do have a separate and aging HP PC for my Windows XP stuff. Apple pretty much seems to have applications for anything that I need. Yes I miss out on some Power Point attachment emails that my Right Wing Cousin sends me... but, I will accept that as a part of the huge cost to my life :sarcasm: of not having that program. I don't have Excel either, but have no need for it, so again no loss to me.
I have a niece who is first year college with a new MacBook which has Windows on it. Don't know much of the details, but she is very happy with her laptop. Not that her Uncle influenced her decision at all..... "Yes, Dear Niece select whatever computer you think is best for you, but if you don't choose a Mac I will never speak to you again"...... (Well, maybe I didn't say that, she is just really, really smart).... :crazy:

[Dean Martin]

38. All I have to do then is wait a couple of years

Because my girlfriend will get her Masters then and I won't need Excel, Word, and Powerpoint to assist with her schoolwork. At that point, I'd just as soon never see anything with the name Microsoft on it again, which would be my primary reason for getting an Imac.

[wake.up.america]

7. which applications are compatible w/ubuntu ?

[UndertheOcean]

8. All open souce linux applications.

For the web there is Firefox..
Instead of MSOffice there is Open Office.

Thunderbird for email

loads of free graphics and audio apps

[Solon]

9. You forgot to mention Wine and Vmware...

Both of which allow you to either run many Windows programs(Wine), or Windows itself(Vmware) within Linux.

[hughee99]

11. I have VMware at work and love it. n/t

[Solon]

12. I dual boot Windows XP and Ubuntu Linux...

What's weird is that I tried Vmware under both, it won't run under Windows, claims I don't have enough RAM. Under Linux though, it runs like a charm, its even pretty fast, though I mostly use it to try out other operating systems.

Wine works really well, mostly I use it for some simple applications and games that don't have Binaries available on Linux.

[Irreverend IX]

23. One of the best things about these apps...

Is how easy it is to install them. Part of the Ubuntu OS are programs that can download open-source applications from online software repositories and automatically install them on your PC. So if you want to install Amarok (like iTunes but more powerful) or BitTorrent or OpenOffice, you just go into the software-picking program, check a few boxes and have the applications installed for you. With Windows and Mac OS, you have to either buy software in stores and install it off of CDs or download the programs from websites. Ubuntu's way of handling software is much faster and easier, as well as costing nothing.

[Nickster]

17. Just starting using that on one of my laptops. It's been one of the easiest versions of Linux

that I've ever tried. I'm very happy with it so far, still trying to figure out how to work my iPod with it, getting there with amaRok.

[Orrin_73]

27. or get pclinuxos it has the same aere effects

that vista has. www.pclinuxos.com

[Casablanca]

5. Yet another reminder to the world to _never_ believe anything Microsoft says.

They are about making money and nothing besides. A superb example of the hypercapitalist ethos.

[Raydawg1234]

14. what is the "hypercapitalist ethos" ?

[Casablanca]

16. The idea that everything and everyone are fundamentally economic commodities.

"The Corporation" documentary is a more complete description.

[Double T]

6. Let the SERVICE PACKS begin............

some things NEVER change.

[Megahurtz]

10. Rofl!

:rofl:

[texasclarkie]

15. Been using Ubunta since Warty

I mostly use the open source apps. I use Dreamweaver MX which doesn't run in Wine or Vmware, so I have a small XP partition, but I'm using Linux about 90% of the time. I wouldn't touch Vista, even if Microsoft gave it to me free. They can have their DRM.

[Dudemachine]

18. Misleading title...

It should read "Four anti-virus products fail active virus test". An operating system's security (or lack thereof) has no bearing on the virus detection rates of anti-virus programs.

[karlrschneider]

20. But Live OneCare is -part of- Vista, right?

So the title is accurate.

[Dudemachine]

21. No, it isn't.

Windows Live OneCare is a stand-alone product. The only thing OneCare and Vista have in common, is Windows Defender. Windows Defender is an anti-spyware program that comes with Vista, and is the anti-spyware component in OneCare.

[karlrschneider]

22. Sorry, my mistake. From the link, it looked to me as if it was a Windows product.

I see now it was released the same day. But not, apparently by Microsoft. Now I see.

edit: By the way, welcome to DU!
ks

[Dudemachine]

24. :-)

Thanks for the welcome! :)

OneCare is a Microsoft product, but it isn't part of Windows. Windows Vista isn't at fault here, Microsoft's dodgy anti-virus is!

And for anyone interested, here's a list of the AV products that did pass this particular test:

Alwil avast! Professional Edition 4.7
CA Anti-Virus 8.2.013, CA eTrust Integrated Threat Management Suite r.8.1
CAT Quick Heal AntiVirus Plus 2007 version 9.00
ESET NOD32 antivirus system 2.7
Fortinet FortiClient 3.0.379
F-Secure Anti-Virus for Vista 2007
Grisoft AVG 7.5.433
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0.2.546
Sophos Anti-Virus 6.5.1
Symantec AntiVirus 10.2.0.276

[karlrschneider]

25. Good info, thanks. It's hard to keep track of what's what sometimes.

ks

[eppur_se_muova]

31. You're right, it is. I just posted the BBC headline without "editorial" comment.

Too late to edit, unfortunately.

[sendero]

26. Anyone expecting Microsoft software to work..

... is pretty optimistic. It never has in the past, why would it now.

Word still has all kinds of bugs. A program that's been around for well over a decade and is used by millions of businesses and homes is still a buggy a piece of shit.

I'll bet the amount of lost productivity caused by shoddy Microsoft products equals the gross national product of many small countries.

I'm a programmer, I work with this crap day in and day out, and I have to admit even I shake my head in disbelief at how utterly inept a company Microsoft is at anything but making money.

[sofa king]

29. Has anyone seen the review?

It appears as if the Virus Bulletin website is currently down--did Slashdot run this article, too?.

I'm curious to know how some of the free antivirus programs did, like AVG, Avast! and AntiVir. I found the free programs to be far less annoying and resource-intensive than Symmantec and McAfee, but I've often wondered about their effectiveness.

[Dudemachine]

30. See post #24 n/t

[DubyaSux]

32. Contrary to popular belief...

...the Mac is way worse than Windows when it comes to vulnerabilites:

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/?p=165

Considering the size of Apple's marketshare when compared to Microsoft, the comparison is staggering.

I'm not crazy about either OS, but to say that Mac doesn't have the problems as Windows is simply not true. But that is what people choose to beleive.

[FreeState]

35. LOL

...the Mac is way worse than Windows when it comes to vulnerabilites:

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/?p=165

Considering the size of Apple's marketshare when compared to Microsoft, the comparison is staggering.

I'm not crazy about either OS, but to say that Mac doesn't have the problems as Windows is simply not true. But that is what people choose to beleive.

Yes be sure to go to that link and read the article and the comments. Then search on his sources - that article is complete FUD. Even his sources do not agree with him.

[Sherman A1]

37. Which is why I get updates for Windows every time I turn on my PC

but they don't seem necessary for my iMac....:woohoo: Hmmmmmm?

[MadHound]

34. Another day, another MS product that fails to perform. What else is new?

Just another reason I'm happy with my Mac.

[w4rma]

39. So which ones passed the test? (nt)

[Dudemachine]

40. Here...

Alwil avast! Professional Edition 4.7
CA Anti-Virus 8.2.013
CA eTrust Integrated Threat Management Suite r.8.1
CAT Quick Heal AntiVirus Plus 2007 version 9.00
ESET NOD32 antivirus system 2.7
Fortinet FortiClient 3.0.379
F-Secure Anti-Virus for Vista 2007
Grisoft AVG 7.5.433
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0.2.546
Sophos Anti-Virus 6.5.1
Symantec AntiVirus 10.2.0.276

[w4rma]

41. Thanks! Am I correct to assume that none of those are affiliated with the testing group? (nt)