The Fate of the Antivirus

[Gnosis]

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/428166/the-antivirus-era-is-over/

Conventional security software is powerless against sophisticated attacks like Flame, but alternative approaches are only just getting started.

Alperovitch says his company will enable victims to fight back, within the bounds of the law, by also identifying the source of attacks. “Hacking back would be illegal, but there are measures you can take against people benefiting from your data that raise the business costs of the attackers,” he says. Those include asking the government to raise a case with the World Trade Organization, or going public with what happened to shame perpetrators of industrial espionage, he says.

Some experts and companies now say it’s time to demote antivirus-style protection. “It’s still an integral part [of malware defense], but it’s not going to be the only thing,” says Nicolas Christin, a researcher at Carnegie Mellon University. “We need to move away from trying to build Maginot lines that look bulletproof but are actually easy to get around.”

Antivirus companies have been quick to point out that Flame was no ordinary computer virus. It came from the well-resourced world of international espionage. But such cyberweapons cause collateral damage (the Stuxnet worm targeted at the Iranian nuclear program actually infected an estimated 100,000 computers), and features of their designs are being adopted by criminals and less-resourced groups.

 

[MrXidus]

Sure, You can put on a bullet proof vest (antivirus) and sure it might save you from some small caliber rounds everyone now and then like 9mm round (common malware).

But what happens you face a RPG (Nasty Rootkit) flying towards you, That basic vest ain't going to protect you from such a dangerous threat and you if don't see it coming (Exploits / Stealth / Low Detection Rate / No signature etc) and jump out of the way, that weak vest will do nothing at all to stop you from exploding into multiple pieces.

Yeah there's Explosive Protection Outfits (HIPS/BB's) that can prevent it but not everyone (non-advanced users / computer illiterate users) has/have the knowledge to use one.

Because we've already made it clear in past threads that common sense isn't so common after all, One can use layered protection (Umbra) such as hiding behind multiple thick pieces of steel that 99%% of the time protect you against RPG's and other serious threats. Or if you want to step it up a notch, Constantly hide inside a APC (Sandbox).

Hope my analogy made some sense... Thanks.

 

[Prorootect]

So NO AV here ..

Good read about Anti-Malware Product Comparison Testing
, by Mikey from voiceofthepublic.com site: http://voiceofthepublic.com/thoughts.html

'.. In addition to studying the detections and removals, what other features are offered by the tools? What proactive features exist and do they work as pitched? Almost every scanner advertises that it protects the system. Do they really?...to what degree?...how much of it is just bloat?' ..

 

[Plexx]

So NO AV here ..

Good read about Anti-Malware Product Comparison Testing
, by Mikey from voiceofthepublic.com site: http://voiceofthepublic.com/thoughts.html

'.. In addition to studying the detections and removals, what other features are offered by the tools? What proactive features exist and do they work as pitched? Almost every scanner advertises that it protects the system. Do they really?...to what degree?...how much of it is just bloat?' ..

As said on another thread, no solution is perfect, but we cannot deny that at its core ability, it does work, even if it is equal to 1%.

One has to understand: beginner to average user does require an AV as a basic layer of protection due to the education on security not being high, whether we like it or not.

Some experts and companies now say it’s time to demote antivirus-style protection. “It’s still an integral part [of malware defense], but it’s not going to be the only thing,” says Nicolas Christin, a researcher at Carnegie Mellon University. “We need to move away from trying to build Maginot lines that look bulletproof but are actually easy to get around

The day that there is a bullet proof 100% system solution, no one will use it because it will enter Monopoly mode and not everyone will buy. Not to mention nothing is perfect and there will always be flaws.

This would only work on a ideological world that doesn't exist.