Virus Guy brought next idea :
> FromTheRafters wrote:
>  
>>> The vast, vast majority of people that buy Anti-virus software
>>> EXPECT THE ####ING SOFTWARE TO DETECT MALWARE.
>> 
>> This is partly because that is what the vendors want people to
>> think.
>
> This is because the most viable / useful produce that the AV industry
> can sell is software that can detect and neutralize (quarantine)
> mal-code the instant said code enters a customer's machine.  That's what
> customers want, first and foremost.  Because if you can do that, then
> you don't have to construct tools and secondary programs that can scan
> for and remove active infections or fully-installed mal-code that you
> didn't detect in real time.

That's what it used to be all about, well, "detection" (as opposed to 
identification) and blocking it from being executed. Then they started 
competing with each other over how well they cleaned up when the 
prevention failed.
>
>> They call their programs 'solutions' when in fact they are just
>> tools to aid the user in staying uninfected.
>
> People don't want tools.  Either in software, or in hardware (screw
> drivers, wrenches) people are increasingly becoming unfamiliar and
> undesiring with using tools.  They want something that's in-place and
> just works.

IOW they're too lazy or incompetent to manage their own system and want 
a silver-bullet instead. They don't understand the impossibility of 
that scenario.

[...]

> Is it your contention that we be bullheaded and only discuss "viruses"
> here, just because that was the narrow focus and original phenomena 20
> or so years ago when these groups were started?

No, this group is about all kinds of malware or even security questions 
in general sometimes. In order to be discussing some aspects of malware 
it is important to discern between the two major types - those that 
self-replicate (viruses and worms) and those that don't - namely all 
others including those distributed ultimately through server 
polymorphism and spambots.

[...]


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