Hi malware fighters,
Are we to be glad with this sort of testing?
Read here: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/protection-software-9-06/how-we-test-antivirus-software/0609_software_testing.htm
I think not.
polonus
I don’t see anything wrong with the testing. What I don’t like is that in order to see the results,
you have to sign up to Consumer Reports which is NOT free.
All this is a lure to get new customers.
Few exactly the same 
Actually I subscribe to Consumer Reports magazine, and it annoys me that I can’t use the website info unless I pay for it. I admit it isn’t very expensive, but!!! :
Ro Ro 8) 8)
Hello bob3160 & others,
I did not know because I read an exerpt of the original, and for Polonus all this information is free, if you want the free form of this information there is a technique to get this, learn to “LEECH”. (Leeching or klebing from the German word “Klebe”= to glue, is a special searching technique to get information from a certain source by searching sources that link to it) From security.nl comes this free report, compiled and slightly re-edited by polonus for english speaking readers:
The non-profit consumer organisation ‘ConsumerReports.org’ has created more than 5000 new viruses to test 12 virusscanners. The 5500 new virus variants were based on 6 well known virus categories. To prevent unwanted outbreaks the malware was placed on a CD.
However a lot of anti-virus experts were not amused with this way of testing av. “This probably is not a friendly action. The anti-virus community has always been strongly opposed to creating new malware for whatever reason. How could any av-researcher take the responsibility for adding another 5500 new malware to the circuit”, asks AV Bulletin’s John Hawes.
The consumer organisation’s main conclusion. "ZoneAlarms internet security suite for 70 bucks is a good daily protection against all sorts of malware, and Spybot S&D "forms is a nice additional protection next to it
We can come to such a conclusion easily without creating an additional 5500 malware What do you think?.
polonus
Never tried the leeching idea, how to start ?
Did a google on leeching and found a few interesting things.
Leeching Policy Recently we have been more than ever witnessing a lot of leeching of our files texts and news. The webmaster puts hours daily into this site everyday. ...So it would appear that some are not too pleased about their content being leeched, so you have to wonder to its legality, copyright/intelectual property, etc. ???
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leeching or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leech_(computing)
I cannot believe that an ‘expert’ stopped only with ZA and Spybot :o
Is he a serious one?
To DavidR,
Read about this “art” here: http://www.tor.at/resources/computer/net/internet/www/search/www.searchlores.org/c_secon.htm
Why your objection here, this could also applies to deep linking, people that like to earn on free content always have there objections to these practices, someone is peeping through the digital curtains they just hung out therel. As it appears on the Internet all information is free, then it goes onto a server where you can approach it when you pay for the content. If for instance the same content can be attained from say a Japanese server, and that same contentthere is free, leeching is profitable, and not illegal per se. When someone on a personal blog or on a website comments on certain information and by going to these links, you can get a fair guess at where the original paid content is held, there cannot be an objection.
If you cannot get to the content of the page, and you can find the full unabridged version of the site in the fresh search engine cache, so much the better for the searcher. Nobody is stopping you from attaining this, only they meek would not leech, abstain from klebing or luring for answers. Now you can understand why a good “re-searcher” has knowledge.
About cache searching read this:
http://www.searchlores.org/serend_1.htm
Enjoy,
polonus
I’m not objecting to it just that some sites object to their content being leeched and in some countries that may not be lawful.
Hi DavidR,
Leeching is not always welcomed, more often not than that it is. But it can be most effective to get to certain information, you otherwise could not obtain. For instance you do not know the ins and outs of a particular topic, or you want to know who is an expert in a particular field, and what information he has access to. So you could go with just an alias for this particular question and this particular issue, and enter a webforum, post in a suggestive manner, leech all the experts that come by for links to content that you are after. It can be most rewarding.
I think it is done a lot on the Internet in friendly ways and in more or less unfriendly ways, but people do this, at least when you reckon they are intelligent.
polonus
The Consumer Union is always dead serious in the work they do. The article contains many recommendations and ratings on various antivirus, antispyware, and antispam products (including avast!). This issue also rates back-up drives, and has an interesting article on the “State of the Net”.
It’s well written, thorough, and a good read, and you don’t have to subscribe to Consumer Reports. I bought my copy off of a magazine rack while on a business trip.
Your profile doesn’t indicate for sure that you’re located in Brazil, but I assume you are. You might try an international news stand to see if they stock it.
If anyone’s interested in getting a copy, it’s the September issue, so it’ll be gone soon.
The Consumer UnionHi OrangeCrate, Are Consumer Reports and The Consumer Union the same thing? Tech's quote was in regard to something published in Consumers Report.
I was surprised.
I’m still surprised.
Yes Bob,
Consumer Reports is published by Consumers Union USA. Type either “Consumers Union” or “Consumer Union (my typo)” into Google, or the search engine of your choice, for lots and lots of additional information…
Edit:
Tech, you will be surprised even further, if you actually read the article. There’s a total of 37 antivirus, antispyware, and antispam products tested and rated in the article.
I’ll have to pay to read the article. No thanks. I’ve made myself a lot of tests and get a lot of info by friends and forums. No need for that. Specially if, after all, I’ll receive the same advice as I could get for free. No thanks.
The public library in my city has a subscription to Consumer Reports. Its for library patrons to read. Am I a leech if I read it?
Am I a leech if I read a neighbor’s or friend’s copy?
How is that different from finding a link on the internet to read a CR article?
Is someone a leech for using avast! Home instead of avast! Pro?
I’d call it leeching if you hacked CR’s website, it would be much more than leeching in this case.
I’ll have to pay to read the article. No thanks.
Yup, unless you’ve got really fast fingers, and the news stand owner isn’t looking, you probably have to pay for magazines.
Edit:
A library might be a good idea - I think you would enjoy the article.
Hi rdmalloyjr,
“Am I a leech if I read a neighbor’s or friend’s copy?”, you say. But how do you interprete that when the content is copyrighted? If the line would be “Am I a leech when I share a neighbour’s or friend’s copy?”, the RIAA would accuse you of infringement of DRM. Why do you have two standards for content?
In the one example there is nothing wrong accordingly, in the second example anyone is bullied to comply.
polonus
leech…(from dictionary.com)
- any bloodsucking or carnivorous aquatic or terrestrial worm of the class Hirudinea, certain freshwater species of which were formerly much used in medicine for bloodletting.
- a person who clings to another for personal gain, esp. without giving anything in return, and usually with the implication or effect of exhausting the other’s resources; parasite.
- Archaic. an instrument used for drawing blood.
–verb (used with object) - to apply leeches to, so as to bleed.
- to cling to and feed upon or drain, as a leech: His relatives leeched him until his entire fortune was exhausted.
- Archaic. to cure; heal.
–verb (used without object) - to hang on to a person in the manner of a leech: She leeched on to him for dear life.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leech
more info on the word leech… ;D :o
++this is all in fun-no harm intended to anyone++
+++Hey Polonus and Everyone…which one AM I since i get the magazine in the mail at my home and read it in my favorite chair??+++
Hi drhayden1,
I saw you reading it.
Well the thing about leeching content, or availability of information as such. A short while after fresh publication the content is free for a short period (I think a fortnight, but don’t hang me for this info) for everyone to grab before the content goes to another protected content server of a publisher (if you like to get to the free info, I suggest deep searching as one of the ways to achieve this or go to a searchengine cache (if it was not blocked) or to go to info-links of people that link to it, and that is our leeching in this particular sense, as it is meant here). Just one meme: To get to information, you must know where to search…
Another form of leeching for instance could be that you go to a forum where you want some particular information from some or want to know which are the experts out there on a particular subject, you then register under a certain alias for the occasion, post some info to leech to the links to or the information you want.
polonus