Is Antivirus Dead? Antivirus Vendors tell on

[Matsuda]

So, is antivirus dead? It depends on how you look at it. Traditional antivirus, the one that relies only on malware signatures to detect a threat, is certainly dead. However, most of the major security software companies offer “antivirus” solutions that integrate all sorts of sophisticated mechanisms that can detect threats based on their behavior.


Bogdan Dumitru, Bitdefender chief technology officer, tells on it:

“The truth is always in the middle ground. Relying solely on antivirus is a dead end – and it has been for at least 8 years now. But that’s like saying that aspirin is dead because it’s not the cure for cancer, AIDS and all of humanity’s other illnesses.

Aspirin still works for a hangover or a mild cold and people still keep it in their medicine chests. Other techniques were developed for other illnesses. The same way, other [smaller] companies have brought new innovative technologies that expanded their spectrum and started defending against several other threats. Antivirus is just one feature within a security suite.”

An expert from Malwarebytes:

“Saying antivirus is dead is quite a bold statement, but as the threat landscape has diversified so much in recent years, it’s not sufficient on its own. Many traditional antivirus approaches have not adapted as fast as the threat environment and as malware has become more advanced, it has outpaced traditional security approaches.

This is why we have always touted a ‘complementary approach’. Having a specialist piece of software such as Malwarebytes working alongside traditional antivirus provides greater security.”

AVAST’s CEO Vincent Steckler notes in a blog post:

“Symantec’s statement seems to relate to the enterprise, and not the consumer and small business. Enterprises have traditionally relied on many layers of defense and antivirus is one of those layers. Antivirus though is a broad-spectrum defense and as such is often complemented by other products, such as those protecting against targeted attacks that enterprises worry about.

They instead incorporate firewalls, intrusion detection, heuristics, virtualization, sandboxes, and many other layers of protection and not just antivirus. Therefore, we believe AV is not dead in the consumer space. It is far from dead there.”

Costin Raiu, senior security researcher at Kaspersky Lab, writes in a blog post:

“Traditional signature-scan antivirus as the sole method of protection has been dead for many years. It has been replaced by a much more sophisticated bundle of products and technologies, which combine heuristics, sandbox analyzers, cloud reputation and whitelisting technologies to protect the user.

Every major player today has already adapted to these trends. Actually, those who didn’t adapt simply disappeared! Many times new technologies have emerged which were supposed to become ‘magic bullets’ to save the world from malware and make traditional (signature-based) antivirus technology largely obsolete.

Avira Security Expert and Product Manager Sorin Mustaca tells us via email:

“This hardly comes as news for anyone in the security industry who’s been in the business for more than a few years. I've written in April 2014 in the Virus Bulletin magazine an article called ‘Is the IT security industry up to the new challenges to come?’ where I describe exactly this situation.

Saying that the ‘Antivirus is dead’ is incomplete. The classical antivirus, the one that works only with signatures or patterns, might be dead - but dead as in not enough anymore. These days, all antivirus companies that want to make a difference, are doing more than providing signatures.

The detection of malicious software using signatures worked well until late 90' beginning of 2000, because the bad guys were too slow in creating malware. Since then, the bad guys got organized and are much faster.

Now, we are adding cloud detections, sandboxes, heuristics, artificial intelligence and more. To conclude, I would like to say that ‘the antivirus is dead, long live the antivirus.’ Or perhaps, it would be better to not even call it antivirus at all.”




Source

[Alanon]

Duh. Any successful anti-virus company will say they are needed. It's only the failed ones that deflect and complain.

[Holmes]

So, is antivirus dead? It depends on how you look at it. Traditional antivirus, the one that relies only on malware signatures to detect a threat, is certainly dead

Wrong.

Its not certainly dead its a dead end might want to rephrase. Antiviruses are always going to be used and are always going to be reliable for the old threats. You can choose not to use one and if you get infected by a old virus your going to ask that virus is so old wtf oh yea I need a antivirus. There not dead at all in fact there only getting additional sophistication as you can tell from the vendors above. I agree that mcafee and symantec's norton are pretty much dead as well as microsoft's security essentials I mean there not completely dead yet there on there way..

[axarad]

yah I agree with that

[212eta]

Day by day, the number of new Malware found constantly increases.

As a result, the AV industry faces a Crisis.

[x3r0]

Day by day, the number of new Malware found constantly increases.

As a result, the AV industry faces a Crisis.

Or otherwise, there will be a place for the market since everyone feels the need of having it.

I recall the old days, there were just couple AV in DOS: McAfee, Norton, NOD32, Avira, even MS did offer an AV in DOS (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MSAV). nowadays, hundred of AVs are available to choose.

Edited May 9, 2014 by x3r0

[locoJoe]

IMO they are all a complete waste of $$$! That is if you actually purchased them! NOW before a pro AV vs anti AV war gets started here please look at the first 3 letters of this post......I M O, thank you, thank you very much :)

[Blackchildcx]

I would not be 10 sec in web without protection, same as I want not be in a unknown pXXsy without protect my ....

Edited May 9, 2014 by Blackchildcx

[locoJoe]

I would not be 10 min edit/ seconds/ in web without protection, ....snip....

Me either!

Edited May 9, 2014 by loco.Joe

[jimbojet2011]

On the web and downloading a lot of stuff and surfing around without protection, Is like using a rubber with little holes in it

there's allways a change you can get something big uot of it ;-)

I use Zonealarm Extreme and Malwarebytes ( to catch up little suprises )!!!!!!!!!

[abbdoc]

I use a rubber with little hoes in it!

lol

Anyway I agree with most comments surfing in any shape or form without the "protection" of an AV is silly

Bizarrely enough I use Symantec Endpoint and just after the guy from Symantec spewed forth his opinion, Symantec Endpoint released a new version 12.1.4100.4126

NB

My Setup

Symantec Endpoint, Malwarebytes premium and the current version of AdwCleaner-v.3.2.0.6

Though its the old paranoid adage adapted here - "Just because there not out to get you, doesnt mean they arent

or translated into IT speak

"Its the viruses you cant see, that get through that cause you the harm"

Eh?

[OrioNeXus]

I use Sandboxie :huh:

[The Owl]

NIS

Malwarebytes

Pest Patrol Corporate 4.4.4.4

have areas that I can "Play in" and C Drive totally locked down nice and safe.

Would I go on the Internet without Protection NO WAY Jose' but there again I have a machine capable of running everything I want / need and memory to spare.

[Dodel]

AV isn't dead it's just playing catch up.

[derrick lee]

I used 360 Total Security and Outpost Security Suite Pro and Zemana AntiLogger :)