Antivirus vendors
Cliff_Forster
Icrontian
Thrax wrote:And did you seriously just try to suggest that Symantec MAKES viruses? That's so, so wrong. Please do not mislead members and visitors with false information.
Tell me though, have you ever at least wondered? Seriously, a world without computer viruses would be a very sad place for alot of Symantec employees, I'm not suggesting anyone does anything that underhanded, but stranger things have happened.
Stating it like he knows this, agreed, that wrong, unfair to Symantec, but I at least have to wonder if the business were a little slow, if somebody knowing all the potential exploits would launch a bug or two, maybe nothing too nafarious, but very annoying, just to sell some more software.
To quote the manager from the Bay Area Tire store behind my home, when I went to change two tires that had been slashed by a vandal overnight "I swear, it wasn't me"
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Comments
Come on.
I'm just saying, if one day, maybe not Symantec specifically, but any of the big recognized anti virus vendors were caught doing a little of that in some clever way, say by paying a couple of bandits overseas to write a new bug from time to time, would you be totally shocked?
Of course, you could argue, that any company that would betray the publics trust like that and get caught would immediately be put out of buisness, so the risk may is not worth the potential increase in sales, but still, that thought has had to cross your mind for at least a second.
I don't think it goes on for that reason, the risks don't outwieght the potential befefit, but I still wonder a little bit if every now and then a "rouge" antivirus employee lets a couple windows exploits the company knows about "slip" after a few beers in casual conversation at a "security convention" (hackers hang out), in hopes that it will be the next big thing to spur sales, and give thier programers something to do.
That being said, I'm just stating a possibility that has crossed my mind, I don't honestly think anyone is doing that, but if I were to read about it on slashdot next month, it would not totaly surprise me.
i wish i was as humble as you in this case you know i have 2 kids(im a father) and i really appreciate your input on this im not as good with words...im just here to help someone...that may need it like i did....in a simpler way, but it does help us excel all these viruses and procedures of removing them it is educational in any case....
that is right its only to prevent an outbreak doesnt mean you wont die from it if it accellerates...(im not saying that they wont save your life you had cancer or needed a surgery and in most other cases but this is different)
some of the viruses are not even viruses and some virused sites hold good info.....
whats that saying for being optimistic and being pecimistic at the same time however its spelled
you gotta see whats not there and this is all gonna go into marketting like the site says if the geeks are on it so are they or something like that....
Its not an accusation, just a possibility that has crossed my mind. I don't think it happens, I'm just saying if it does go on, I would not be 100% surprised.
way out of context...
is that it nothin else?
Is it me, or did a large chunk of this conversation disappear?
Oh well, John, don't take it personally. The Icrontic community is going to shoot you straight, sometimes we agree, sometimes we don't, just be cool Brother, don't take personal offence to it. Hell, my entryway in this community was through a fundamental disagreement, but you can't let it get to you if someone thinks your off your rocker (people wonder about me all the time), that's the price we all pay for being able to post an opinion, or an unpopular position in a forum. Some will see value in it, others will think its nonsense, but the beauty of this forum, is people shoot you straight, with respect. They don't name call or flame, they just tell you in a nice way that they think your full of it, LOL. I have been all over the net, it does not get much better than Icrontic.
Again, on the topic, I don't think this goes on at anti virus companies, but I don't think someone is off base for thinking it either. One has to wonder, at least a tiny little bit if one or two exploits were ever leaked to help generate extra justification for the product.
Now, as we all know about secrets, someone eventually spills them. You can't tell me that the AV industry would be able to keep profiteering secret for 20 some odd years. You earnestly believe that someone, somewhere, wouldn't have leaked it? That the press or a government wouldn't have found out?
I mean, <i>really</i>?
thank you...i keep editing .....i cant believe that i always have to have these utilities on my pc it takes so much of your time avast is the best ive seen so far...unbeatable iused to use it before it was on vista still dont have vista or a dx 10 card either
I agree with you, too much potential risk to run your business that way. I just don't think someone is off their rocker for considering the possibility.
Enron was calling power facilities in CA to have them stage fake outages and shut downs in order to jack up the price of electricity. They were also hiding most of their debt with the help of the banks. I'm just saying, never underestimate a motivated corporations capacity for evil. Its pretty high. (or, perhaps I have read a little too much Ralph Nader)
That being said, I don't think it goes on, at least never in any really high organized capacity, as some kind of conspiracy to swindle consumers, but if slashdot posted a story exposing an Anti Virus company for doing that one of these days, I would not fall out of my chair in disbelief either. Thats all I'm saying. Its at least crossed my mind as a possibility. Perhaps because I am myself, a little bit devious.
Who has better acess to the security protocols and exploits than the AV companies do? Also, a number of the people that work for them these days are former admidted hackers. Not always criminals doing nafarious acts, but people that like to take a piece of code and see if they can bend it into submission. These people go to conventions and trade events, drink together, talk some, who freaking knows what someone might walk away with, intentional or not. It's just something I have pondered. Now, for the record, do I think Symantec has a secret division dedicated to launching new viruses, no, I absolutely agree with you, that is a conspiracy that would have been uncovered by now.
Now that being said computer viruses came around before anti-virus software came out. Anti-virus software wasn't an imagined product it was something developed from necessity.
Even if it was fact that 'The Anti-Virus Company' did on occasion create a new virus to drumb up business. They aren't creating the lions share of viruses currently floating around. It's akin to trying to stop computer piracy by shutting down one source.