Antivirus or anti-virus software is used to prevent, detect, and remove malware, including but not limited to computer viruses, computer worm, trojan horses, spyware and adware.
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How could an AV detect a virus that has a chance of not decrypting itself?
If I understand this correctly there is a chance the virus may not decrypt itself at all. How could an AV catch this?
In some cases, the decryptor may start with a header whose intent is
not ...
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1answer
216 views
What are the technial and programming requirements for writing a stealth keylogger? [closed]
I'm planning to write/code one such stealth keylogger that would bypass detection by a certain antivirus. (I don't want to name the vendor as I know how good Google queries are against StackExchange ...
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4answers
1k views
Are anti-virus companies companies regularly committing software piracy?
As Mikko Hypponen highlighted in a recent tweet, anti-Virus companies collect and store both samples of malicious software and samples of legitimate software:
This got me to thinking, what ...
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5answers
831 views
Why would a virus writer bother to check to see if a machine is infected before infecting it?
I was looking at the tripartite structure of a virus, and it seems to check to see if a computer is infected before infecting it with the virus. Would this be an attempt to use files that are already ...
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2answers
167 views
AV inserting email header logic
I want to write a small PHP emailing class to be able to send HTML emails. My problem is that in the receiving email an antivirus will insert a header which sometimes simply breaks the entire email.
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2answers
195 views
How do AV vendors choose malware names?
If you take a look at McAfee's recent malware page, you'll see that the names in the "Malware name" column aren't very human-readable: Downloader.a!cnz, W32/Autorun.worm.bgh, ...
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2answers
2k views
Malware or buggy software gives Low Disk Space warning
Since a few days, I am getting an alert that in my c drive disk space is low. When I verified, free space in my c drive was decreasing hour by hour and there was a stage when it simply said that 0 mb ...
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4answers
219 views
Has any virus attempted to compromise the anti-virus database?
I was using an old version of Norton Anti Virus and the Live Update wouldn't run. The solution was to rename a file. This got me thinking if a virus could replace an anti-virus database with it's own ...
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516 views
Cohen's problem
Fred Cohen determined theoritically that viral detetction is an undecidable problem. Can anyone provide an intuitive reasoning for that?
Background
Fred Cohen experimented with computer viruses ...
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1answer
142 views
How does my antivirus determine which CTL is used?
I have imported a trusted root certificate into the Windows local machine list. This works fine with my signed certificates, unless my AV (Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2012) is set to "scan SSL", in ...
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2answers
1k views
Avast says I don't need to use encrypted connections for my e-mail accounts
I am using Outlook 2010 and Avast anti-virus 7. Whenever I add an account to Outlook if I choose to use SSL for incoming or outgoing connections Avast alerts me I shouldn't use it because Avast can't ...
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3answers
347 views
How do polymorphic/metamorphic/self-encrypting/self-changing file infectors know if they have infected a file or not?
If a virus rewrites itself for each infection how would it know if it has infected a file or not? If it keeps infecting the same file soon the whole file structure will be corrupt. For example how ...
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2answers
493 views
Why do I get AV alerts when browsing a web page?
I'm using the latest version of Firefox and Windows is up to date. When I was browsing a webpage and clicked a link the browser displayed "connection has been reset" and AVAST poped-up saying "Alert!" ...
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1answer
104 views
Would this be plausible for a metamorphic virus? Not repeatedly infecting same system
Would this be plausible for a metamorphic virus? When a new generation (for lack of better word) is created it would hard code a random file name, that would be checked to see if the system was ...
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8answers
559 views
Battling Malware without spending money
Our environment consists of about 80 users running Windows 7. Previous to me showing up as a full time IT employee, the company had contracted an outsource IT solution. As part of their set up, they ...
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1answer
126 views
Does anti-virus/security software protect against NTFS ADS?
I know that NTFS has features called ADS which may be used to hide malware. So does antivirus/security software, such as Norton 360, protect against this type of attack?
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1answer
135 views
How are AV scanners protecting against encrypted (PGPd) malicious code?
As a user of PGP I worry about receiving a virus that was previous encrypted with my public key, which anybody can get by querying many PGP key servers. What prevents an attacker to target a PGP user ...
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2answers
145 views
How do viruses know if they have already infected a system or done something?
I know some viruses repeat the same actions over and over again with no break, thus grinding the network to a halt. But others "take a break" from there repetitive actions.
For example Nimda ...
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225 views
Antivirus for Thesis
I just want to ask if you know any book or technical papers and theses regarding computer viruses and anti-viruses. 'cause we're having a hard time looking for updated books regarding ...
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2answers
232 views
Why does Antivirus Softwares have an Issue with EXE Packers
Im trying to pack an Executable using an Exe Packer like UPX.I packed and checked the File with VirusTotal.com.Here some 9 Antivirus Products say its a Virus actually its a harmless exe.I think the AV ...
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11answers
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Do we really need an antivirus? if yes, what for? And how do they activate and enter in a PC?
I've been reading on various sites how PC get infected by viruses and I got:
Email attachments (but of course, only if I get an exe and open or execute something, right?)
Don't update windows
...
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2answers
120 views
Which MTA don't have antivirus check for outbound emails?
I need to test whether MTA has antivirus check for inbound emails. To check this I need to send email with e.g. EICAR testfile from another MTA to this one. However, Gmail, Yahoo and other well-known ...
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5answers
1k views
What's a free recommended anti-spyware program for Windows? [closed]
Its been years since I installed an anti-spyware program. Keyloggers and other nasties might have gotten installed and so I'm looking for a program to flush them out. I used to use Spybot-S&D, but ...
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1answer
53 views
Are there privacy implications with ESET Web Protection?
I got the most recent ESET Cyber Security Beta for Mac. It offers a mode called “Web Protection” and “Email Protection”.
The documentation don’t really explain what these two modes does, and I’m ...
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15answers
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How to write an email regarding IT Security that will be read, and not ignored by the end user?
I've observed that several of our users are ignoring messages sent from IT Security managers, and also the system generated "You just sent a virus" notifications.
The problem seems to be among people ...
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2answers
1k views
How to scan USB drive with clamav on Linux
Is there a way to scan the entire drive including auto-run and all partitions, including the master boot record (MBR)?
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175 views
Remotely fingerprint AV software on LAN machines?
Does anyone know of a method to fingerprint machines in the LAN and find out what kind of AV software is installed?
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287 views
What criteria do you use for evaluating Client-Side / Endpoint security products?
What features are important to you in client-side AV and Firewall products?
Who benefits from these features? Managment, the end user, helpdesk.
Are there features that are being 'sold' by the ...
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5answers
205 views
What are the areas to focus on to protect users and devices?
What are the areas or technologies to focus on to protect users and devices?
Are patching, antivirus and firewalls still the main areas?
How do you defend against attacks against vulnerabilities ...
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4answers
395 views
How bad is a source code leak for an antivirus?
I was reading that Symantec suffered a source code leak and I was wondering how bad this is for a anti-virus product. Do these products rely heavily upon "(in)Security Through Obscurity" or does it ...
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3answers
257 views
How do anti-virus & anti-malware programs protect themselves?
I would assume that A/V products would need to employ the same kinds of techniques used by the software they are trying to cleanse to ensure that they can continue to run in such hostile environments. ...
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2answers
532 views
Antivirus for scanning anonymous file uploads
Since I have no experience with AV solutions on Unix-like environments, I would need help with suggestions on something that can be suitable for scanning files that are uploaded by anonymous users ...
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112 views
When using a recovery disk, like AVGs boot-able CD, to scan for viruses, malware etc… what are the limitations?
What I like about about the boot-able CD concept, is it can connect to the Internet and get updates, however I'm not clear how effective they are at really finding things that are heuristic? How do ...
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4answers
260 views
What is the purpose of EICAR?
For as long as can remember, EICAR has been used to test for the presence of Antivirus systems in email, the file system, or other places.
Sometimes the AV solution is so far out of date, that its ...
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3answers
254 views
Do any antivirus products use “canary files” to detect rootkits?
Recently, I've learned how some rootkits are able to hide certain files, services, etc. from programs in the kernel or user modes.
This got me wondering: Are there any antivirus programs, or other ...
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5answers
137 views
Should there be an anti-virus used on client provided files?
This is based on Stack Exchange podcast # 25.
I really don't understand why there would need to be virus checking on uploaded files. It would generally be a bad idea to execute anything which was ...
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How does a crypter for bypass antivirus detection work?
I am talking about crypters used to encrypt files like viruses and keyloggers for the sole purpose of bypassing antivirus detection. How do they work?
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1answer
235 views
Why does Microsoft Security Essentials remove Chrome in some situations?
According to Google, Microsoft Security Essentials is currently detecting some versions of the Chrome browser as malware. Could someone have hacked Google and put a virus into some Chrome updates? ...
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1answer
291 views
Is there a viable open source antivirus for OS/X?
I am interested in finding an antivirus program for the Mac, but not one from Symantec, because I don't trust them.
I wonder if perhaps there is an open source solution for antivirus for OS/X?
Or ...
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6answers
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How to scan a PDF for malware?
Can anyone suggest an automated tool to scan a PDF file to determine whether it might contain malware or other "bad stuff"? Or, alternatively, assigns a risk level to the PDF?
I would prefer a free ...
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2answers
257 views
Are there any independent organizations doing (publicly available) IT security research?
When looking up security risks on the net I find that all research being cited (if any is cited) always seems to come from the Anti-Malware companies. (just e.g., this article cites F-secure, AVG and ...
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1answer
147 views
Behaviourism and heuristics in AV
In one local magazine I read interview with Adrian Porcescu who is technical consultant in Kaspersky Lab.
Anyway, among other, he says their anti-virus uses behaviourism and heuristic control to ...
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2answers
405 views
Force AV Scan of USB drive vs. File-Access Scan
I have been evaluating MS Forefront Endpoint Protection 2010 vs. Kasperskey 2010.
One of the major differences in features seems to be that Kasperskey gives the option to force the full scan of a USB ...
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4answers
3k views
Does a webserver need an antivirus software installed?
In what cases does a webserver need an antivirus software installed?
When it is not required?
If it is required sometimes, what should be considered when choosing the right one to install?
(In my ...
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1answer
284 views
What steps do you take to keep both your computer and internet browsing secure?
I am thinking about your browser setup, antivirus protection, vpn, browsing best-practices and so on.
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2answers
577 views
Antivirus, antimalware and antispyware software. What is the difference?
What is the difference between antivirus, antimalware and antispyware software? If any clear distinction can be defined.
