69 How often should we upgrade our antivirus tools to minimize software and labor costs and maximize our protection?
Description
This article is from the Computer Viruses FAQ, by Nick FitzGerald n.fitzgerald@csc.canterbury.ac.nz with numerous contributions by others.
69 How often should we upgrade our antivirus tools to minimize software and labor costs and maximize our protection?
This is a difficult question to answer. Antivirus software is a kind of
insurance, and these type of calculations are difficult.
There are two things to watch out for here: the general "style" of the
software, and the scan strings that scanners use to identify viruses.
Scanners should be updated more frequently than other software, and it
is probably a good idea to update a scanner's set of scan strings at
least once every two months. In the six or so months prior to January
1995, most of the popular PC-based virus scanners typically added
detection of about 500-600 new viruses or variants--this averages out to
between two and three new viruses per day!
Some antivirus software looks for changes to programs or specific types
of viral "activity", and these programs generally claim to be good for
"all current and future viral programs". However, even these programs
cannot guarantee to protect against all future viruses, as new "attack"
and anti-antivirus methods are continually being developed by virus
writers. Thus, even this type of antivirus software needs to be
upgraded occasionally.
Of course, not every antivirus product is effective against all viruses,
even if upgraded regularly. Thus, do *not* depend on the fact that you
have upgraded your product recently as a guarantee that your system is
free of viruses!
Continue to:
My Books
