Additional anti-virus questions answered.Reader response to last issue's article, "'Deadbolt' your computer and 'Don't talk to strangers,' anti-virus expert advises," included the following questions which we forwarded to Anson Lee, program manager at Symantec Corporation, parent company of the popular Norton Anti-Virus program. Q. How come you cannot download even one's own software--say, from a floppy disk--without turning off the anti-virus program? A. Viruses can reach a computer in many ways, such as through files downloaded from the internet, e-mail attachments A file that rides along with an e-mail message. The attached file can be of any type. E-mail programs make it easy to attach a file. For example, in Eudora, all you do is select Attach from the Message menu, browse through the folder hierarchy to find the file you want and then double , floppy disks, CD-ROMs, etc. As a best practice, all of these items need to be checked for viruses each time they are used. In other words Adv. 1. in other words - otherwise stated; "in other words, we are broke" put differently , when you insert a floppy disk into the drive, check it for viruses. The user, of course, has the option to turn off the anti-virus program, but we do not recommend it. Q. Some cynics Cynics (sĭn`ĭks) [Gr.,=doglike, probably from their manners and their meeting place, the Cynosarges, an academy for Athenian youths], ancient school of philosophy founded c.440 B.C. by Antisthenes, a disciple of Socrates. believe that some viruses and worms are actually created by personnel in anti-virus companies, to give them new business. Have you heard the rumors For other uses, see Rumor (disambiguation). Rumors is a farcical play by Neil Simon. At its start, several affluent couples gather in the posh suburban residence of a couple for a dinner party celebrating their tenth anniversary. and is there any truth to them? A. This comes up on a regular basis and our answer is simple. Symantec does not hire ex-virus writers, for both ethical and pragmatic reasons. The most important reason is that we believe it is wrong to hire someone who has actively created or released malicious Involving malice; characterized by wicked or mischievous motives or intentions. An act done maliciously is one that is wrongful and performed willfully or intentionally, and without legal justification. DESERTION, MALICIOUS. code into the wild. In addition, the engineering skill sets involved in creating vs. analyzing malicious code samples are very different, so there is no benefit gained from their experience. Q. Has Symantec itself ever been infected in·fect tr.v. in·fect·ed, in·fect·ing, in·fects 1. To contaminate with a pathogenic microorganism or agent. 2. To communicate a pathogen or disease to. 3. To invade and produce infection in. with a virus? A. Symantec has a number of safeguards built into our virus lab security architecture to keep malicious code isolated, including air-gaping of this lab from the rest of the engineering networks. We also implement a security in-depth posture for our main network systems to protect against external and internal events. Q. Why do anti-virus programs work on a subscription model, paying so much a year? Why not a program that one can buy and use indefinitely--with its own updates built in? A related question: Why do subscribers have to spend sometimes a lot of time running updates, rather than having the updates built into the software? A. New viruses, worms, Trojan horses It may never be fully completed or, depending on its its nature, it may be that it can never be completed. However, new and revised entries in the list are always welcome.
Anson Lee, Symantec Corp. 20330 Stevens Creek Stevens Creek is a creek in Santa Clara County, California. The creek flows from the Santa Cruz Mountains into Stevens Creek Reservoir. It continues through Cupertino, Los Altos, and Mountain View before emptying into the San Francisco Bay. Blvd., Cupertino, CA 95014, 408-517-8000, www.symantec.com |
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