Ahem . . . has your antivirus program been compromised by GCHQ and NSA?

[Joe Hone]

I don't think this has been posted here. The Intercept reported Monday: "The National Security Agency and its British counterpart, Government Communications Headquarters, have worked to subvert anti-virus and other security software in order to track users and infiltrate networks, according to documents from NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden." There is quite a list of potentially targeted antivirus programs. The article mentions how Kaspersky Lab was singled out by GCHQ and makes the ironic observation that Kaspersky has been a thorn in GCHQ and NSA's side by uncovering superviruses that appear to have been created by those agencies. It is a good read.

https://firstlook.or...-targeted-kaspersky/

[Tuxman]

Just another reason to stop using snake oil software.

[Curt]

“Anti-virus products, with only a few exceptions, are years behind security-conscious client-side applications like browsers or document readers . It means that Acrobat Reader, Microsoft Word or Google Chrome are harder to exploit than 90 percent of the anti-virus products out there.”

They don't tell who the few exceptions are, except maybe Kaspersky.

[MilesAhead]

Just another reason to stop using snake oil software.

-Tuxman (June 25, 2015, 03:08 AM)

A friend of mine had a boss who liked to say "using a prophylactic is like taking a shower with a raincoat on."  I feel the same way about computing with av running. 

[Stoic Joker]

Just another reason to stop using snake oil software.

-Tuxman (June 25, 2015, 03:08 AM)

A friend of mine had a boss who liked to say "using a prophylactic is like taking a shower with a raincoat on."  I feel the same way about computing with av running. 

-MilesAhead (June 27, 2015, 08:07 AM)

Or something like this perhaps?

[MilesAhead]

Just another reason to stop using snake oil software.

-Tuxman (June 25, 2015, 03:08 AM)

A friend of mine had a boss who liked to say "using a prophylactic is like taking a shower with a raincoat on."  I feel the same way about computing with av running. 

-MilesAhead (June 27, 2015, 08:07 AM)

Or something like this perhaps?
 (see attachment in previous post)

-Stoic Joker (June 27, 2015, 11:16 AM)

Heh.  With that packaging the brand should be changed from Durex to Duress. 

[Renegade]

Heh.  With that packaging the brand should be changed from Durex to Duress. 

-MilesAhead (June 27, 2015, 06:08 PM)

Err... rebranding like that is pretty hard. And forcing people to take it is, well, just rapacious. Is the company up for it? It may just be a limp proposition.

[MilesAhead]

Heh.  With that packaging the brand should be changed from Durex to Duress. 

-MilesAhead (June 27, 2015, 06:08 PM)

Err... rebranding like that is pretty hard. And forcing people to take it is, well, just rapacious. Is the company up for it? It may just be a limp proposition.

-Renegade (June 29, 2015, 02:06 AM)

Such comments may be a bit premature.