[Infowarrior] - Windows 'fails' active virus test

[Richard Forno]

 Windows 'fails' active virus test

Security tools that work with Windows Vista have failed tests to see if they
can detect viruses circulating online.

Microsoft's Windows Live OneCare security tool was one of four products that
failed independent tests carried out by the Virus Bulletin.

The security testing group found that Live OneCare missed far more active
viruses than any other program tested.

To pass the tests anti-virus tools must spot and stop 100% of the malicious
programs used to attack them.

Attack profile

When Vista was launched on 30 January, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates claimed
that it was "dramatically more secure" than other operating systems.

Work began on Vista in 2001 and prior to release Microsoft said that some of
the delay was due to efforts to harden the operating system against viruses
and other malicious programs.

    Vista cannot fend off today's malware without help from security
products
John Hawes, Virus Bulletin

Version 1.5 of Windows Live OneCare was co-launched with Vista and uses the
same scanning "engine" as the security tools bundled with the operating
system. Typically users pay a yearly subscription to use Live OneCare.

The Virus Bulletin tests try to catch out anti-virus software with a variety
of malicious programs including bots and worms known to be spreading online,
file infectors, polymorphic and macro viruses.

While Live OneCare did manage to spot 100% of the macro viruses it was
tested against, it missed some wild viruses, polymorphic programs and file
infectors.

Live OneCare caught 99.91% of the known active viruses it was tested
against. This left it vulnerable to 37 separate malicious programs.

Other anti-virus products that failed the tests included G-Data
AntiVirusKit, McAfee VirusScan Enterprise 8.51 and Norman Virus Control
5.90.

"The tests conducted in our secure labs were against the most significant
viruses and worms affecting real-world users," said John Hawes, a technical
consultant at Virus Bulletin.

"Although many improvements have been made, Vista cannot fend off today's
malware without help from security products," he said.

Jo Wickremasinghe, Windows Live OneCare product manager, said in a
statement: "We are looking closely at the methodology and results of the
test to ensure that Windows Live OneCare performs better in future tests
and, most importantly, as part of our ongoing work to continually enhance
Windows Live OneCare to ensure the highest level of protection and service
that we can provide our customers."

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/technology/6331959.stm

Published: 2007/02/05 14:43:06 GMT

© BBC MMVII