MalwareDoctor: 5 Common Myths TRANSCRIPT

ENGLISH: Below is a general outline that I typed out when producing the video so that I would hit on all the points I wanted to. This is an updated transcript that has been corrected of many grammatical errors. Please copy into Google Translate if you are looking for a translation.

DEUTSCH: Nachfolgend finden Sie eine allgemeine Übersicht , die ich eingegeben , wenn die Produktion des Videos , damit ich auf alle Punkte, die ich wollte , um zu schlagen. Dies ist eine aktualisierte Transkript, das von vielen grammatikalische Fehler korrigiert wurde . Bitte kopieren Sie in Google Translate , wenn Sie für eine Übersetzung suchen.

FRANCAIS: Ci-dessous un aperçu général que je ai tapé lorsque la production de la vidéo, de sorte que je voudrais frapper sur tous les points que je voulais . Il se agit d' une transcription à jour qui a été corrigé de nombreuses erreurs grammaticales. Se il vous plaît copier dans Google Translate si vous cherchez une traduction .

ESPANOL: A continuación se muestra un esquema general que he escrito a la hora de producir el video para que me golpeó en todos los puntos que quería . Esta es una transcripción actualizado que ha sido corregida de muchos errores gramaticales. Por favor, copie en el Traductor de Google si usted está buscando una traducción.

1) Detection Rate is everything
FALSE
Some people believe that detection is everything. This is simply not the case. Often malware can have many variants, or in other words be very similar in coding to other malware. If a large portion of threats are built off of the same code, all the antivirus has to do it find the common link between all of the variants and they can stop the threat. However threats often can evolve through creating new mutations and this will not always be the case. A proper mix of different types of samples from Adaware, to spyware, to trojans should be used in the tested malware pool if possible. Also with time more and more antivirus companies
will have been able to incorporate these malicious samples into their own databases. Through online submission site VirusTotal
participating antiviruses are used to scan files to determine if they are malicious or not. As an reward for joining
the service, the 50 some engines on the site are given information about malware detected, speeding up the time it takes
for antivirus to detect threats. While this may be a great tool, it also speeds up the shelf life of malware so detection
rates will be higher if they are using this service. Often malware testing groups will advertise rankings based off of detection rate.
Even at a 99.9% detection, that is no definitive solution. When hand sanatizer says it cleans 99.9% of viruses does that mean I am not protected against the one hundredth of a percent? Virus signatures can not be released to consumers using an antivirus product before a piece of malware is released in the wild. But the ability to detect samples that have been released, less say within a day or two, that is how we can see an antivirus performing under the most harsh conditions. Importantly, this fails to consider malware that mayhave originated in a place on the otherside of the world. While it can happen, malware that originates in places like southeast Asia
have a difficult time of flourishing in places like North America. Excluding the high profile cases malware just does not typically spread as globally as we might initially think. So while a Iranian antivirus might be able to detect 100% of threats in Iran, that might mean very little to someone in Canada. That is why picking western world antivirus might be a better choice for someone living in the west and vice versa for the east. Not saying they are bad products, just perhaps not used in the right part of the world. While I show detection rates simply to show that all of the known threats of malware to the antivirus have been removed, take the detection rate with
a grain of salt.



2) You can't use two antivirus at the same time.
While true, it is misinterpreted.

The information about this topic online can be a little bit confusing, so I believe this is a good starting place to begin. A common misconception is that if you have two security products running on the system at the same time they will conflict with one another over detection'sand memory usage. While most antiviruses can not and I am going to repeat that, CAN NOT be used side by side, there are plenty of security products that are compatible, or that will work alongside, your antivirus. Going back over a decade ago, most of the big name antivirus like McAfee, Norton, and Trend Micro were specifically tasked in finding and detecting viruses. Not designed to protect against a vast aray of threats like adware, spyware, keyloggers and such. This is where programs like Ad-Aware, SuperAntiSpywareand Spybot Search and Destory came into existence. Ad-Adware was founded in the late 1990's on blocking tracking information on websites. superantispware focused on spyware and spybot focused on pretty much the same stuff as the last two. These programs complimented the traditional antiviruses that people were using on their computers. However, over the years the term malware began to engulf the specialties of all of these spyware and adware removal programs and combine them under the umbrella of the antivirus name. However, companies have surfaced over the more recent years that can work in conjunction with your traditional antivirus. Malwarebytes, Immunnent, Webroot and Avast (if set in compatibility mode during install) can all work with other antiviruses.

It is important to note that even if the products are compatible, the system may experience some slowdown. Even if products claim to be compatible with most antiviruses on the market I would recommend excluding the files and processes from each security product from one another to reduce the chance of any conflict. A simple Google search should be able to explain step by step on how to exclude files or folders from respective security software solutions. So while generally speaking you should not run two antiviruses at the same time, there are security applications out there that will run with your existing antivirus. If you want to check you computer for malware using a scanner other than your antivirus, there is a vast assortment of malware removal scanners you can run that are not antiviruses. You can run as many of them as you like. I have recently put out some reviews of free malware removal tools so do not be afraid to check them out.



3) If an antivirus detects a threat as being malicious the file is definitely malware

FALSE

Antivirus companies inadvertently create false positives every day. Simply put a false positive is when antivirus software
detects a non-malicious file as malware. Sometimes these false positives can be very innocent,
like flagging a pirated video game or even detecting themselves as malware. However, some false positives
can be very destructive, in some extreme cases rendering the entire operating system unusable. In some cases the effects
of a false positive can be more destructive than an actual malware infection.

In early 2010, McAfee detected svchost, a critical windows process, which caused computers to not only
loos internet access but to enter an endless reboot. In 2010, a faulty update produced by AVG caused Windows 7 computers to experience a similar endless-reboot of their computers as with the McAfee error. In 2011, Microsoft Security Essentials, the worlds most used antivirus, removed Google Chrome, labeling it as a Trojan.

False positives are common occurrences that happens all of the time.
That is why most antivirus have exclusions the user can set for files or folders on the
computer or for websites online that are being blacklisted, or flagged, by a web filter
as being malicious. Most of the more well known security suites offer an online submission of files that
may be detected in error. If you believe your antivirus is detecting a file in error, feel free to submit the sample
for a re-evaluation. In the comment section below I have a link to a site where you can find information to submit samples
to a vast number of antivirus manufactures. However, it should be noted that the larger
the community that an antivirus is serving, typically the false positive will be identified and remedied much faster than with smaller companies.




4) The more security I have on my computer the more secure I am.
FALSE

Going back to the previous myth, while it is certainly okay to run multiple security applications at the same time it is not suggested to run as many compatible products that you
can find. You are just asking for trouble. I have seen many configurations over the years that people have shared with me. I have seen an antivirus, firewall booster, behavior blocker, web filter and keylogger programs all put on the same computer. My advice: download some free on demand scanners, meaning that do not run unless you are running a scan. Links to some of the reviews will be in the
description. More than likely if you have all of these programs running on your computer you are computer savvy enough not to aimlessly browse the web. My saying is simplicity is king. I personally use Comodo Internet Security which is a free, all in one antivirus, firewall, web filter and a virtual browser that I can browse the internet safety without worrying about any mistakenly downloaded programs making changes to my hard drive. I find that much better than have 4 or 5 different programs bogging down my computer.




5) Paid is always better than free

FALSE

***For consumers home use. I believe this is not only false for security software but a lot of software in general. However we will focus on the
computer security aspect of this myth.

While I believe consumer understanding on this matter has improved  in the right direction, I still believe it is a significant enough problem to address in this video. In today's world most households have several internet connected devices, whether it be smartphones, tablets or traditional computers. To protect these investments people can spend up to $100 dollars a year to protect all these devices. All of these devices only depreciate in value over time. If $100 is put out year after year, eventually someone could have bought a modest new computer with the amount of money they spent. This myths has its roots back over a decade ago when most antiviruses on the market could only be purchased through yearly licenses. As the decade moved on free av's began to emerge and today there are many to choose from. In a 2014 Opswat concluded that nearly 50 percent of antiviruses users are being protected with free products. For consumers, free antiviruses are usually the way to go. With estimates ranging from 15 to 25 percent of computers not having any security product installed there is no reason to say no to the price of free. Even without the bells and whistles of registry cleaners and telephone support, most consumers can find assistance if needed through online forums and simple web searches for common issues or concerns. I have always been weary of 2 or 3 year license plans with one antivirus company. Products performance can go from being great one year to being dismantled and bought out by another company the next. Or the product will become bloated with unnecessary features for the next release. Not saying it can happen but it is always something that has kept me from being committed with antivirus licenses. If you insist on using paid software, make sure you understand your payment method as some antiviruses automatically renew payment each year.

***The one exception to this myth is for businesses and enterprises. Most companies withdraw the free option to businesses that are using their product and only
offer paid security software. Specific information pertaining to respective vendors can often be found in the end user license agreement that is agreed to when downloading just about any product from online.