AV Vulnerability!

[Mike]

I received the Email, posted below, about the vulnerability
of some very big AV programmes.

You can google AVulnerabilityChecker to find the tool.

Mike.

Beware the Anti-virus Threat

Dear Mike,

We all know that you need an anti-virus program on your PC to stay secure while browsing online.
It will intercept threats that arrive via email, the web, or a removable drive and prevent them from
infecting your PC.

But what if your anti-virus program itself was a threat? Surely anti-virus programs are developed to such high standards that they could never be the actual cause of security problems on your PC? You would have thought so but it turns out that this isn't always the case.

Back in March, security research firm enSilo found a serious problem in the widely used AVG tool. They found that the way it was using memory could allow a hacker to inject malicious code into the anti-virus program itself and run it on any machine with AVG installed. Fortunately, AVG managed to fix the problem in a couple of days. But, enSilo then tested some more popular anti-virus packages and found that McAfee VirusScan Enterprise version 8.8 and Kaspersky Total Security 2015 were also vulnerable. Kaspersky and McAfee have both issued updates to their products that fix the problem. Since enSilo have found this problem in three major anti-virus packages, they also believe it could be present in other tools too. This is a major headache for all PC users, since if a malware infection manages to exploit this problem in one tool, it will likely be able to exploit it in others too. So, if you run one of the affected tools from AVG, McAfee or Kaspersky, make sure you install the latest updates for the program, as you'll then at least know that you are protected from the problem.

 

[imp]

We have lately had a T-V commercial airing over here in which a little boy, outdoors on a paved walkway, is conversing on a cell, angrily, then he suddenly straightens up, raises it in the air, and dashes it to the concrete walk in satisfaction. Fantastic and funny.

I see me taking that route with this confounded computer when the "crash" comes, and experiencing the profound relief at finally escaping the tentacles of the "Information Age" which have enveloped me. imp