Read about this here: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/government-launches-free-anti-virus-for-pc-mobile-phones/articleshow/57273608.cms
polonus
Read about this here: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/government-launches-free-anti-virus-for-pc-mobile-phones/articleshow/57273608.cms
polonus
Not just giving everyone access to a free AV but the tools to clean infected systems.
There is also what seems a lot of big brother involved.
The Indian cyber security watchdog CertIn will collect data of infected systems and send it to ISPs and banks. These ISPs and banks will identify the user and provide them with link of the centre, launched in name of Cyber Swachhta Kendra.
To do that they would need to be monitoring user systems for infection (AV phoning home ?) and have data on what ISP and bank they used.
Although this may seem like they are going to go for a free antivirus right now its going to be completely isolated to the malware they see on infected systems.
The project by the Indian government will cost Rs 90 crore and will be spread over a period of five years. CertIn, an Indian cybersecurity watchdog will be collection information on systems which are infected and send it to ISPs and banks. These organisations will then find the user and give him the link to the centre. The centre has been announced in the name ‘Cyber Swachhta Kendra’. It is there, that the user will be able to download anti-virus or anti-malware tools to disinfect their devices. CertIn Director General Sanjay Bahl had informed about the cost of the project and timeline.
This is more of “cure” than prevention.As I said before,India is in a state where the awareness about malware and damage it can do is very poor even among home users.The antivirus market in my country is a complete joke and a marketing hype than anything else and that is what makes us more vulnerable.
My question is even if you disinfect the computer do they know malware can jump back in on it from a USB drive? Are they educated enough to know how to clean a computer properly without causing any harm.
Because you need to have tons of people who are well educated in a subject far from being taught in school and being famous.What sort of assurance is there here that user won’t be re-infected? They need to start educating the users first!
Short answer: No! They can’t compete with avast
As I said a lot of big brother monitoring/data gathering going on.
Would you really want your Government holding all this data, your ISP, Bank, etc. What is to stop them monitoring other activity.
Would I trust my Government with something like this, absolutely not, they are notorious for failed IT projects, over budget, late, ultimately scrapped and losing data.
Hi True Indian and DavidR,
Thanks for explaining this to us. I also view now that it is also to better facilitate the surveillance state. Has not this been our history that vested interests could rule the ignorant masses through manipulation and now also technology?
And I also see in our part of the world that the masses are being dumbed down, with real experts few and far in between, serving these same ends. We sure need some new form of Renaissance and not glide down in some Dark Ages of Technology again.
But as long as people in India, as True Indian told me on occasion, in rural areas really believe computer viruses are some sort of microbes or live earworms that can crawl into computers, we have a long way of education before us.
polonus
This isn’t limited to people in rural areas where majority of the masses running computers know what they are doing but people generally as well I see day to day think its the dust inside their pc :-[
And guess what’s the removal tool?? Its from quickheal : :-[ >:(
The AV vendor that struggles in av comparatives.They did make their web blocker aggressive but their binary detection is very poor.
Way to go…Injecting your “own dubious AV software” into the mission.I now feel there are going to be more broken/half disinfected computers and this won’t improve the situation.
Better go to a malware removal forums and get yourself cleansed than using this crap.