Antivirus software was one of the earliest cybersecurity solutions, with the first commercial programs appearing in the 1980s, and it remains at the core of protecting computer systems today.
But as threats evolve and become more sophisticated, does traditional antivirus still have a role to play or will it be overtaken by technologies like artificial intelligence?
We spoke to Peter Stelzhammer, co-founder of the independent testing organization
AV-Comparatives to find out.
BN: Why have antivirus solutions endured for so long?
PS: In short, because there has always been a use for them. There is an ongoing cat and mouse game between antivirus efforts and cybercriminals -- and bad guys are getting smarter each year.
The foundations of viruses and antivirus (AV) software have changed dramatically over the past few decades. Viruses no longer originate from kids at school messing around on computers to earn their stripes among friends. We're now dealing with organized cyber gangs, deploying advanced software like ransomware and trojans that lead to chains of infection. Antivirus solutions still hold a vital role in protecting high value assets against adversaries, especially as most users within a business are not cyber experts, and therefore need support when defending against known and unknown threats.
Antivirus software will continue to prove invaluable in the face of phishing and ransomware kits. Now that any individual can become a criminal and launch their own attack campaign with ease, the threat pool will continue to grow.
A lot of people still view antivirus solutions as those that existed 20 years ago -- the old, clunky products that slow down workstations. However, AV software, like most other cyber solutions, has kept up with changing times and is more than capable of handling modern day threats. For example, they block malicious URLs in a phishing attack, and support threat behavior detection programs.
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