Posted by Virus Bulletin on Jul 2, 2015
This Throwback Thursday, we turn the clock back to 1997, when automatic updates of AV software were not the norm.
We all know that the malware scene has changed almost beyond recognition in the last 25 years — one clear indication of that is the fact that, in 1991, we were being advised by the experts to update our anti-virus software on no less than a quarterly basis: four times per year.
In today's age of automatic updates, the idea of updating anti-virus software just four times a year seems laughable — and the idea of there being no other choice than to update manually (whether four times per year, once a month or once a week) not only seems strange, but also seems to put a lot of onus on the weakest link in the security chain: human end-users.
In 1997, VB's then Technical Editor Jakub Kaminski wrote: 'Soon, those programs which are able to find the relevant developer's site, download their own upgrades, and distribute and install themselves through users' networks will be the clear winners.' He wasn't wrong and by 2004, Sophos's Graham Cluley was telling us that 'Effective anti-virus protection includes the ability to poll automatically for security updates on an hourly basis.'
Jakub's forward-thinking editorial piece, in which he comments 'giving users access to daily updates is becoming a necessity for those who want to stay in business' can be read here in HTML-format, or downloaded here as a PDF.
A later piece, by Rob Rosenberger, compares reliance on anti-virus updates to an addiction to prescription painkillers, bringing us the bad news that 'Even persistent updating won't be enough ... Because anti-virus firms spend hours preparing each injection before you can download it. You'll still be lagging behind the latest virus threats when you finally switch to an intravenous update.' Rob's cheery piece can be read here in HTML-format, or downloaded here as a PDF (no registration or subscription required).
Posted on 02 July 2015 by Helen Martin
