__/ [ Larry Qualig ] on Wednesday 15 March 2006 05:32 \__
>
> B Gruff wrote:
>> "The dodgy anti-virus update (4715 DAT), issued on Friday, March 10,
>> falsely identified a number of component files of Microsoft Office
>> applications and some Windows systems files as infectious. Along with
>> Microsoft Excel, components of Adobe Update Manager, Macromedia Flash
>> Player and Google Toolbar were falsely labeled as viral"
>>
>> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/03/14/mcafee_av_false_positive/
>>
>> Interesting - something I hadn't considered in the past - the effect of an
>> "active" protection mechanism rather than a passive one.
>>
>> I guess that one can have failures of both airbags and seatbelts, in that
>> if the belt isn't properly anchored, or the airbag doesn't inflate,
>> neither
>> does its job in a crash. However, the premature inflation of a bag (e.g.
>> while driving normally - a "false positive") could be a bit of a problem,
>> and one that doesn't have an equivalent with a passive restraint?
>
>
> I heard about this yesterday (Monday) at work. It happened to a friend
> of mine who just happened to pickup the virus signatures the previous
> Friday.
>
> To clear this up... McAfee didn't and doesn't "eat" a system. It places
> the files into a quarantined area for safe keeping. He had to click on
> the files and tell McAfee to put them back.
It's an issue with third-party software, but I think it still reflects badly
on its host, which permitted this thing. If you think about it, had the
platform not been so malware-ridden, this never would have happened.
Yet again, Averaga Joe finds the operating system hard to use because
applications disappear.
Best wishes,
Roy
--
Roy S. Schestowitz | Useless fact: Brazil spans 47.8% of S. America
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