# AV Vulnerability!



## Mike (Dec 14, 2015)

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.


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## imp (Dec 14, 2015)

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


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