Doctor Four
My other vehicle is a TARDIS
Premium
join:2000-09-05
Dallas, TX
 ·AT&T U-Verse
|  Symantec executive: dangerous to run free antivirus
quote:
A top Symantec executive has hit out at free antivirus software, including Microsoft’s Microsoft Security Essentials, warning consumers that it won’t be enough to keep them safe.
Speaking to BLORGE, David Hall, Symantec’s Product Manager Asia-Pacific Consumer Products and Solutions said that free antivirus software isn’t able to keep up with full-price suites like those offered by Symantec.
“If you are only relying on free antivirus to offer you protection in this modern age, you are not getting the protection you need to be able to stay clean and have a reasonable chance of avoiding identity theft,” he said.
»tech.blorge.com/Structure:%20/20···tivirus/
Does anyone else think this is pure FUD? Besides, not only is it still possible to get a layered security setup with free software from different companies, but Symantec's software has had poor detection rates of a lot of threats compared to free offerings like Avira & ClamAV. And that has led to more infections on machines supposedly protected by Symantec's products. And add to that the bloat, hogging of resources, and the intrusiveness of it.
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"The trouble with computers, of course, is that they are very sophisticated idiots." - Doctor Who (from Robot)
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CCat
Purrplexity
Premium
join:2005-12-06
Wonderland
 ·RoadRunner Cable
·WOW Internet and C..
| Yeah, Right.
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Technogeez
Gone but not forgetting
Premium
join:2007-01-20
·AT&T U-Verse
·Verizon FIOS
| reply to Doctor Four
Sure it is. Free AV software is a major threat to Symantec's continued revenue stream.
I'm not arguing his point, which is correct...how long will Microsoft continue dedicating headcount toward a program that brings in zero revenue? Avast and AVG tell you upfront you don't get the same level of protection with their free versions provided by their paid programs.
It's a risk/benefits analysis. I'm ok with the free programs for user machines, 'cause I can reload last night's backup in about 46 minutes.
The server, on the other hand, has a paid copy.
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Read your contract and TOS before signing anything. |
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jadinolf
I love you Fred
Premium
join:2005-07-09
Ojai, CA
 ·DSL EXTREME
| reply to Doctor Four
He's the expert so he must be right. |
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simmery
join:2006-01-29
| reply to Doctor Four
I don't think it's pure FUD. I would say it's over-reaching. Naturally, he has a stake in selling Symantec products, and I will give him the benefit of the doubt regarding his sincere belief in the superiority of his product (or perhaps similar commercial products).
I think you can probably meet or exceed the level of protection a commercial suite offers by frankensteining your own free collection, but you have to be knowledgeable about each product's limitations, compatibility with other products, quality of its update procedures, and so on. Some people enjoy keeping up with all this; some don't.
Commercial suites are invasive and do measurably slow down you computer, but a lot of this can be attributed to weak/old hardware and OEM crudware/bad configurations. I have not been bothered by slowdown with any suite I've used on the computers I build and maintain myself.
Right now, I'm quite happy using NIS 2009 and have no interest in chasing around after free applications. I do not put my faith in NIS 2009. I merely hope it will protect me if I make a mistake. Meanwhile, I try to be careful about what I click on and keep recent disk images on an external hard drive. |
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La Luna
Surviving Ashraful
Premium
join:2001-07-12
Warwick, NY
clubs:
·Optimum Online
 ·Vonage
| reply to Doctor Four
Odd, I've had no problems using Avast free, for years. According to this guy, I should have been hosed a long time ago.
FUD to convince sheeple people that they must spend money to get a quality product. There's been more than one time that a "paid" AV has screwed up. |
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Dude111
An Awesome Dude
Premium
join:2003-08-04
USA | reply to Technogeez
quote:
Sure it is. Free AV software is a major threat to Symantec's continued revenue stream.
Hehe i was just gonna say this! |
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Smokey Bear
veritas odium parit
Premium
join:2008-03-15
Annie's Pub
| reply to Doctor Four
Considering the entire article and argumentation I claim it is not FUD what the Symantac guy said, instead it make sense. Current threats demand sophisticated AV security products to defend yourself in an acceptable way, and it is true that free antivirus software isn’t able to keep up with full-price suites. Uhhh, better hide myself forthcoming hours, the freebie lovers will shoot me... 
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EGeezer
Go Bobcats
Premium
join:2002-08-04
Country!
·Callcentric
·RoadRunner Cable
·AT&T CallVantage
1 edit | What I think is inaccurate is this statement;
“That’s why free antivirus is not enough: you need in-depth layered technologies, which only come from the more mature paid suites.”
As we've seen, there are many discrete layers and practices one can use to build what a suite has, and in many cases, provide more protection at less cost in money and system resources. In many cases, proper configuration and maintenance of one's operating system and applications is more effective than a relying on a single vendor's suite.
Ya can't blame the guy for trying, but he's still perpetuating the myth that security is just a vendor product, and the programs will make you all safe and warm.
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The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding. -- Justice Louis D. Brandeis |
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Hangetsu
join:2007-12-22
West Chester, PA
| I think the clarification is that the regular user at home would not be protected properly with a free product.
I think a lot (most?) of the people who post and lurk around here have the PC knowledge that they are more than capable of keeping their machines clean with a free product. In fact, there are probably quite a few that could go without and stay safe (although it doesn't hurt to have a fallback).
But for the regular user who just knows how to turn the PC on, hits the web on their browser (IE, since they'd have no idea about getting another one, much less that there IS another one!), opens emails with the web-based birthday cards, etc., more layers of protection that is as EASY to use as it is effective is important.
The free products don't offer that in a one-stop offering. As was mentioned above, you could roll your own with free products, but again that regular user isn't going to have a clue - And in fact, would be more likely to download a copy of AntiVirus 2009 and infect their PC in that process. |
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nwrickert
sand groper
Premium,MVM
join:2004-09-04
Geneva, IL
·AT&T U-Verse
·AT&T Midwest
| I think the clarification is that the regular user at home would not be protected properly with a free product. Somehow, I think the regular user at home with a free AV is better protected than the regular user at home who still has the free trial AV that came with the computer and for which updates stopped two years ago.
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AT&T dsl; Speedstream 5100b modem; openSuSE 11.0; firefox 3.0.11 |
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urbanriot
join:2004-10-18
St Catharines, ON
·Cogeco Cable
| reply to Doctor Four
We use ClamAV on our corporate proxies and intermediary mail gateways, and it doesn't catch nearly as much as our corporate Symantec products catch. Of course, that's on the corporate end of the spectrum and the engines are considerably more comprehensive than the home offerings.
I have no experience with Avira. I'll give it a shot... AVG is pants though. |
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VikingBob
join:2004-06-05
Ste Anne, MB
·MTS
| reply to Doctor Four
A paid suite will give you more protection than just one free AV - but those who know what they are doing will be using various layers of free protection.
However... the average user is NOT quite so up-to-speed as most of the regulars here are. And that's the problem. Millions of bot-infected PCs can't be wrong... |
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MarkAW
Barry White or lil bratt
Premium
join:2001-08-27
Canada
·Bell Sympatico
·Cogeco Cable
| said by VikingBob  :A paid suite will give you more protection than just one free AV - but those who know what they are doing will be using various layers of free protection. However... the average user is NOT quite so up-to-speed as most of the regulars here are. And that's the problem. Millions of bot-infected PCs can't be wrong... No one here is arguing that but the statement made by David Hall never said anything about running a suite.
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The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continuously fearing you will make one.
Next to knowing when to seize an opportunity, the most important thing in life is knowing when to forego an advantage. |
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VikingBob
join:2004-06-05
Ste Anne, MB
·MTS
| From the article:
Speaking to BLORGE, David Hall, Symantec’s Product Manager Asia-Pacific Consumer Products and Solutions said that free antivirus software isn’t able to keep up with full-price suites like those offered by Symantec. |
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Oleg
Bellsouth Fastaccess
Premium
join:2003-12-08
Birmingham, AL | reply to Doctor Four
It's like saying "Buy my product!" |
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MarkAW
Barry White or lil bratt
Premium
join:2001-08-27
Canada | reply to VikingBob
My bad didn't even see that.  |
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Smokey Bear
veritas odium parit
Premium
join:2008-03-15
Annie's Pub
| reply to MarkAW
said by MarkAW :said by VikingBob :A paid suite will give you more protection than just one free AV - but those who know what they are doing will be using various layers of free protection. However... the average user is NOT quite so up-to-speed as most of the regulars here are. And that's the problem. Millions of bot-infected PCs can't be wrong... No one here is arguing that but the statement made by David Hall never said anything about running a suite. IMO, to the average user a suite will be the best possible solution to deal in a reliable way with the numerous amount of threats.
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Smokey's Security Forums »www.smokey-services.eu/forums/
Smokey's Security Weblog »smokeys.wordpress.com/
Site Member ASAP - Alliance of Security Analysis Professionals |
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lhamp
Premium
join:2000-02-20
Stone Mountain, GA
clubs:
| reply to Hangetsu
I think the clarification is that the regular user at home would not be protected properly with a free product.
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Exactly! I think that most of us here at BBR have enough sense not to open suspected emails. Have enough sense to not say YES to pop-ups that appear because he/she happened to visit a site that was a no no in the first place.
I've been running free Avast for a few years and never had a problem.
It's all called common sense. Unfortunately most everyday, I think my PC is protected, users don't use common sense.
Smart computing will win every time. |
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MarkAW
Barry White or lil bratt
Premium
join:2001-08-27
Canada
·Bell Sympatico
·Cogeco Cable
2 edits | reply to Smokey Bear
True but most average users i deal with use a layered approach and have nothing but problems with Norton or suites. I'll say this when i first started using Computers i used suites and then found out the hard way that that was not the way to go and is why i use a layered approach now with free programs. |
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