New
#231
Yep! :)
It's a sign of how powerful/robust an anti-virus engine is. All new viruses are either brand new exploits/malware or different variations of an existing virus. Anti-virus software works on two principles: 1.) heuristics to compare files to known signatures, and 2.) detection of virus-like behavior, known as "detection in the wild", when viruses don't match the database.
Along side of this, there is the problem of "false positives". Those plague most users because something might look like a virus to the anti-virus software, when it fact it is harmless. Symantec is notorious for many false positives, while NOD32 is much better at this.
If you just wanted to protect your system on known viruses, any virus software out there will work, because every company updates their virus databases (aka: signature files). But if you want robust protection in case you happen to get hit at the forefront of a new virus, you'll want to invest in a package from Symantec or ESET. And from a user's perspective, ESET is going to be less intrusive and take up less resources on your system than Symantec, not to mention less expensive too!
There is a huge difference when you talk about the maturity of an anti-virus engines' AI. Symatec, ESET, Microsoft, and Kaspersky are fairly mature and robust now. Grisoft and Alwil are not. But each is doomed to human error at one point or another, because people are imperfect, and developers are people. :)
^^ Can someone PM me a link to that F-Secure?
You didn't post the results from that which are more telling. Note who's on top, ESET, Kaspersky, and Microsoft for the latest test in May of 2009:
And for the test they conducted earlier, ESET, Kaspersky, and Symantec were on top with the Advanced+ rating.
i'm not using any kind of antivirus solution since 2003...
Now i've decided install this Microsoft Security Essentials and let's see if really woth it...