News Stop using AVG...

[dysfunction]

AVG scanner blasts internet with fake traffic | The Register

The AVG scanner can easily be detected by sites and if the site wanted to could redirect AVG to a dummy page to give it a "Clean" report therefore giving you false information...

Sounds like AVG has some serious security issues and is probably best avoided!

 

[Cromcruaich]

Well thats not how i read the article at all - it didnt suggest that avg had any 'security issues' at all - its discussig a new enhancement to the product that isnt present in competing products. That enhancement is being a pain in the arse to people who pour over their web stats each day. Nothing to do with security issues at all.

 

[nath]

Well, that's just the link scanner which I think is rubbish anyway. There's nothing that suggests the virus scanning (i.e. most important) part is compromised.

 

[Bob007]

Or you could open up the user interface and disable "link Scanner", works for me

But yeah, have to agree(to a point), the extra bandwidth this thing and others out there like it (avg isn't alone) can be a headache for some. Might wanna look around for another free/payfor AV if ya useing this and unsure about disableing errr "features"

 

[dysfunction]

Well the link scanner has a huge flaw in it so there could be other huge flaws in the software that are not yet known about!

I'd rather avoid the software altogether just in case.

If the link scanner gives you a false positive and you go to a site thinking its all ok that to me is a security issue...

 

[nath]

Well the link scanner has a huge flaw in it so there could be other huge flaws in the software that are not yet known about!

I'm not sure how sound that logic is there buddy. Find me a flawless free antivirus scanner and I'll move, but right now I'm happy with AVG.

 

[Bob007]

Theres another way to look at that tho, If you don't have an AV with a "linkscanner" type thing and you go there and get infected, then its not the AV's fault

Some may see it as some attempt at protection is better then none.

Don't get me wrong, i can see where you coming from, but all i see is a bandwidth issue for some sites and posible incorrect information returned if someone points these err. "scanners" to a dummy file. Nothing major as every link you click is a small risk anyway. You don't realy know whats there till you hit it.

 

[Kryten]

Don't use Kaspersky!
Don't use AVG!

Christ, next we'll be told not to use Norton!


AV products are really only as good as the computer's owner, all the absolutely riddled systems I deal with are running up to date versions of Norton or Mcafee typically.

 

[nath]

Christ, next we'll be told not to use Norton!

Lunacy!

 

[dysfunction]

well Norton is a bit resource hungry as well as McAfee....

 

[Kryten]

Resource hungry?

If Norton (the home versions) were personified, it would be one of those people you see on TV every now and then.

"Half Ton Dad"
"World's Fattest Man"

They sit there talking throughout the entire program about how they're so hard done by, how their life is so difficult, raking in the sympathy, almost so much that you stop thinking "What a fat git." Then they pick up an entire family feast from KFC and wolf it down like you'd eat a single Mini Cheddar. Sympathy goes out the window.

But yeah, as I keep saying the protection is only as good as the person using it. What good's a bulletproof vest when you're wearing it on your right foot.

Not that it should be acceptable, software SHOULD protect it's users without expecting them to learn about IT security very very quickly, but they're fighting an uphill battle. I don't personally agree with having to create more web traffic to ensure someone's safety, they're already whinging about the amount of internet traffic and increasing it even artificially isn't going to help :|

 

[Gahn]

well Norton is a bit resource hungry as well as McAfee....

Even tho is true, most people doesn't bother to tune em and ofc they come out with high default settings aka "scan everything, everytime, in depth".

 

[SheepCow]

Well the link scanner has a huge flaw in it so there could be other huge flaws in the software that are not yet known about!

I'd rather avoid the software altogether just in case.

If the link scanner gives you a false positive and you go to a site thinking its all ok that to me is a security issue...

From that article there's no bug in LinkScanner/AVG, it's working as intended. It just seems the intended method is meaning more bandwidth usage for web site owners ...

 

[Helme]

I stopped using AVG about a year ago when it just flat out refused to detect a Virus I KNEW I had, I was basically sitting and LOOKING AT THE GOD DAMNED VIRUS DLL'S IN THE WINDOWS FOLDER telling it to scan them.

Started using Avast! instead, very satisfied.

 

[Kryten]

You'd be going from package to package if you kept doing that, Helme : there's not a single package that's able to pokemon (collect em all!)
End of the day though, as I've already said it's mostly personal preference

 

[Raven]

I don't use AVG, but then I don't open E-mail attachments or look at dodgy web sites

Not had a virus in years

I use Sygate mind you.

 

[Ch3tan]

pokemon (collect em all!)

[pokemon geek] catch 'em all [/pokemon geek]

 

[Embattle]

In the ideal world it would be nice if you didn't need any, either way the best cure for viruses is common sense which is in short supply.

 

[Kryten]

Ch3t - I should provide you much pain for pointing that out

 

[Rubric]

Well the link scanner has a huge flaw in it so there could be other huge flaws in the software that are not yet known about!

I'd rather avoid the software altogether just in case.

If the link scanner gives you a false positive and you go to a site thinking its all ok that to me is a security issue...

AVG has been around for years and performs really well, as has already been said the link scanner is new and 1.) in no way affects the products standdard AV function & 2.) if there was no link scanner you would go to the website anyway.

 

[ford prefect]

For me Norton went out of the window in 1999. I had installed Win 98, which took up around 192mb of drive space, I installed the norton suite of the day which then took up a further 248 mb of drive space and brought the PC which had a gig of ram (quite a lot of ram at the time) to a standstill.

AVG served me well for a long time and I still have it installed on some machines, but mostly I rely on the dans guardian mod for smoothwall, which seems to work quite well.

 

[TdC]

you had a gig of ram in 1999? zomg! o0

 

[Kryten]

I had a 32mb 30pin EDO simm on my Keyring in 1995. 2 years earlier it was worth £4k in retail.

 

[ford prefect]

you had a gig of ram in 1999? zomg! o0

Yeah I was young, care free and had money back then, good days

 

[TdC]

ah, the good old days I remember once shelling out 1200 guilders for an 8mb stick of ram to go in my old 66MHz based PC. After that I upgraded the CPU to a 120Mhz AMD model. It was like I had a tiny god sitting on my desk. It was awesome.

 

[Ctuchik]

Christ, next we'll be told not to use Norton!

and i dont. fucking piece of shit program it is.

fucking thing is blocking pages i want to visit and their fucking support basically says "be happy we care"....