How Much of a Difference Does Update Frequency Make?

[profhsg]

The two AVs I use the most are NOD32 and Bitdefender. NOD32 averages about 5 or 6 updates per week. Bitdefender seems to have updates several times a day. In practice, does the update frequency make any significant difference in the ability of the AVs to catch malware?

Thanks in advance.

[gigaman]

No, it doesn't.
What really matters is the response time in case of a "real" threat (i.e. one that really starts spreading). For the other ("rare", or even "zoo") samples, it doesn't make any difference if the updates are released 10 times a day or twice a week.

[RejZoR]

With lower release times (lets say daily or even hourly updates) always give you lower chance ofm getting any malware.

[Capp]

-{ Quote: "The two AVs I use the most are NOD32 and Bitdefender. NOD32 averages about 5 or 6 updates per week. Bitdefender seems to have updates several times a day. In practice, does the update frequency make any significant difference in the ability of the AVs to catch malware?

Thanks in advance." }-

My NOD32 updates quite often. At times, it updates a few times a day.
IMO, it's not how often the AV updates, but how well it can detect baddies with or without the definitions. NOD's heuristics detect a lot of junk that haven't been out long enough to have a def for. Same with Bitdefender. :)

[Brian N]

What I've seen after 3 months, NOD updates each day.
They seem to miss some when they feel like it, and release doubles the next day.

However, huiristics vs. signatures on newly created threats ..
HE wins, no need for an engineer to fiddle around with a cure or sig.

[Don Pelotas]

-{ Quote: "However, huiristics vs. signatures on newly created threats ..
HE wins, no need for an engineer to fiddle around with a cure or sig." }-
Yes, but this theory requires an heuristicmodule capable of detecting 100% of these newly created threats, something not even Nod is close to achieving. ;)

Anyway i don't exactly see anything wrong with adding to the bases 15-20 times a day, even if some of it might not be in the so called "wild", this doesn't mean users can't be infected and i'm quite sure these users are happy their AV didn't wait until the next big AV-comparatives test to add these kinds of signatures to the bases. :)

[YeOldeStonecat]

-{ Quote: "The two AVs I use the most are NOD32 and Bitdefender. NOD32 averages about 5 or 6 updates per week. Bitdefender seems to have updates several times a day. In practice, does the update frequency make any significant difference in the ability of the AVs to catch malware?

Thanks in advance." }-

I'd say it's rather important....while heuristics are nice, certainly having ironclad definitions are at least as important. I've seen NOD32 update 5 or more times in a single day, often 2-3 times in a day of outbreaks. It's comforting.

[rdsu]

If the companies released a new update of every new founded threat, you can imagine the overhead...

They released an update when they have an significant number of threats or in a case of a very dangerous one...

[feverfive]

I purchased Nod about a month ago, & have only gotten updates during the week (unsure of how many are released during weekdays as I typically shut down my machine every night. I can't recall a time when it updated over a weekend.

[The Hammer]

-{ Quote: "I purchased Nod about a month ago, & have only gotten updates during the week (unsure of how many are released during weekdays as I typically shut down my machine every night. I can't recall a time when it updated over a weekend." }-You will though not often. There are threads in the forum about weekend updates.

[webmedic]

not mention nod does check about every hour or so for updates. So if one is needed I'm sure you will get it. I happen to know this because my subscription ran out and before i could renew it it would still try to update. Every time it would update I would get a little error box telling me that I had an invalid username or password. And like I said it happens multiple times a day.