New Prevx Initiative

Discussion in 'Prevx Releases' started by Clive T, Oct 11, 2010.

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  1. Clive T

    Clive T Registered Member

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    Interesting article here on the BBC site. Don't know from this article whether they're talking about Prevx or something new.

    Predictable sniffy response from the 'conventional' AV companies interviewed.
     
  2. PrevxHelp

    PrevxHelp Former Prevx Moderator

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    This is not Prevx itself, rather, a separate non-Prevx hosted initiative which we're pushing. We may be contributing some of the source code as it is only a small application.

    There are quite a few applications for this type of technology - knowing precisely when applications are installed on your PC, what the applications are, and when they were removed (and what they were removed by). These features will also be part of Prevx 4's monitoring, giving the user more control over their system to be aware of when software is being updated/installed but without being intrusive :)
     
  3. TonyW

    TonyW Registered Member

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    I'm not entirely sure I agree with the points raised by Mr Bolin as quoted in the article. It is true changes need to be made to keep up with the ever-growing amount of malware that exists, but I think he missed the point that several anti-malware companies don't just rely on signatures these days.

    As to the small program that will
    If one has Prevx installed or any other cloud-based product, I think that would be unnecessary. It might not be needed for conventional AVs either if the user regularly kept the software updated. Therein lies the problem as I'm aware of users who don't update as often as they should, but isn't that what automatic updates are for?
     
  4. PrevxHelp

    PrevxHelp Former Prevx Moderator

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    Irrespective of if an AV relies on signatures or not, they will miss samples some times and allow threats through. Essentially, the goal of this tool is to say: program X was installed on Nov. 24th and removed on Dec. 18th. Users tend to think think that their AV "saved the day" from an infection when they see a warning, but in many cases, the infection would have actually been on the system for several weeks before. Being able to let users know that this file was actually already on their system weeks ago and could have potentially harvested personal information will give an additional level of visibility to the end user and let them manage their security more accurately.
     
  5. Habakuck

    Habakuck Registered Member

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    For me, this only sounds like a good promotion for cloud based security solutions like PrevX is... ^^ :p

    This was and is one thing i do not like looking at the PrevX marketing:
    You often degrade other security solution to be less affective...

    Yes, your programm is good but i think you should just rely on that without calling the other solutions inaffective (even if that would be the fact..).
    That would be more professional and professionalism is what people like me want from a security solution.
     
  6. STV0726

    STV0726 Registered Member

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    Don't know what to tell you other than the truth hurts.

    More is better, and with Prevx, you get so much more, and when you get less with the other guys, that's gaps in protection.
     
  7. jmc777

    jmc777 Registered Member

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  8. vtol

    vtol Registered Member

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    makes perfect sense to put efforts in such useless marketing gags rather than actually concentrating on getting the job done - which is - remind me? argh, to prevent infections in the first place. and it becomes more and more apparent for what circus Bolin has joined...
     
    Last edited: Oct 12, 2010
  9. Vikorr

    Vikorr Registered Member

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    Would like to provide a quote (or example) of how Prevx 'degrade' other security solutions?

    And by degrade, I'm presuming you mean Prevx is either (unjustifiably) negatively labelling competitors, or throwing false or misleading accusations at other security companies (because if it's the truth, then the only question that would remain would be whether or Prevx's statements were respectfully phrased).
     
  10. PrevxHelp

    PrevxHelp Former Prevx Moderator

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    This initiative is not requiring any time from our end - to clarify: this is an initiative that we are contributing to - not one affiliated with Prevx. We will be contributing some code to it but will not take away any time from our more important projects.
     
  11. vtol

    vtol Registered Member

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    then BBC must have terrible journalists who do not know to put forward words

    there is lot of Prevx/Bolin mentioned in the article, not so much of any other enterprise, kind of curious when just being 'affiliated' and such useless marketing gags even called features to be implemented in Prevx 4.

    building your own mobile Westcoast Lab then. Sure thing that any other AV is going to love it for the fresh unbiased perspective - that is why only 'affiliation', some of which mentioned already in the above cited sophos blog
     
  12. trjam

    trjam Registered Member

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    well, I like the article, I like the idea and I like Prevx. Simple.
     
  13. Longboard

    Longboard Registered Member

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    Logging is nice...
    And ".exe" control/local whitelisting ??
    : rather than just let it run and say so afterwards ??
    Everything old is new again...
    :)
     
  14. pegas

    pegas Registered Member

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    Probably I am not so smart to understand a buzz around the initiative. I just want to say that something similar Norton has introduced in its NIS2010 release and they did improve it in NIS2011. They call it System Insight and I have to admit it is a really handy feature which I am checking often to see if some undesired installation has not slipped through my attention. So I am an advocate for having such alike function within Prevx v4 and as I know Prevx they will have this tool more elaborated and sophisticated than others. In short, Prevx rulez :thumb: and now folks lets begin to slam me :p
     
    Last edited: Oct 13, 2010
  15. vtol

    vtol Registered Member

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    that is good to equalize NIS with Prevx, probably a good direction to where Prevx is heading then. also interesting that Bolin is marketing it as innovative when according to your findings it is there since years, and obviously has not prevented NIS users from getting hit by malicious stuff
     
  16. pegas

    pegas Registered Member

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    Yeah, I don't know if Prevx tool will be the like NIS, I rather doubt. Though it can be answered only by Prevx staff but I think that Prevx developers know how the System Insight in NIS works and if their tool will have something common with NIS I guess they will make it more effective and serving its core purposes.
     
  17. vtol

    vtol Registered Member

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    you vs you
     
  18. pegas

    pegas Registered Member

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    OK good hint :D I forgot to write word EXACTLY like NIS. Anyhow it doesn't change anything until Prevx clarify it.
     
  19. PrevxHelp

    PrevxHelp Former Prevx Moderator

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    As it probably hasn't been clarified properly: the tool will watch when a new program executes and just save the date of this execution. If that program is then deleted, it will save that date as well. This lets the user know that if their antivirus product deleted a program on day 10 but the program was introduced on day 2, their data was exposed for 8 days. Many users think that if their antivirus product found a threat, they have nothing to worry about and are safe when in many cases this is not accurate.


    This feature is already in Prevx 4 but this tool will not be from Prevx specifically - it will be from a separate company likely as completely open source software.
     
  20. pegas

    pegas Registered Member

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    Thx for clarification. Now is very clear it has NOTHING to do with System Insight from Norton. My fault that I saw some resemblances. My apology.
     
  21. vtol

    vtol Registered Member

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    and what is the actual benefit of knowing that? the damage has been done then and cannot be reversed, e.g. data leaked/stolen, money extorted - a clean system restore is probably required anyway and whatever gained during the exposed period is gone too. it though should have been prevented in the first place by Prevx instead of exposing the system for 8 days in this case.

    what do you reckon is the difference for a user of that school of thinking and and one more worried? call the bank's emergency room for blocking internet banking/credit and debit cards, change of residential address and social security number, close the facebook account, reboot the computer?
     
    Last edited: Oct 13, 2010
  22. PrevxHelp

    PrevxHelp Former Prevx Moderator

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    Again - this is not Prevx. This is a separate tool which is used to let the user know if their data could be at risk. It doesn't care if Prevx is installed or another AV. SafeOnline would protect the user's PC anyway but this is not referring to Prevx at all or any AV in particular - it is a tool which is agnostic of the protection on the PC used to inform the user about system changes.

    If a user knows that their data has been stolen, they can begin the process of contacting their bank/credit card companies/etc. and in many cases, criminals don't use the stolen identity immediately so rather than give the user a false sense of security because their AV showed a warning message, this lets them know that they should go about changing their passwords/credit cards/etc.
     
  23. vtol

    vtol Registered Member

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    meaning the user can opt out of this feature during the Prevx 4 installation? it would come then bundled rather being incorporated in Prevx 4?

    point taken, but highly debatable that a user who is unconcerned now would then actually go through the motion of changing passwords/credit cards etc - all the effort yet not knowing whether it is actually necessary (whether sensitive data was really stolen/leaked) though recommended. same for the time/effort to restore to a clean system state.

    the same goes for the bad guys not making use of their treasures immediately - their learning curve of shortening time windows is properly steeper than those of users being hacked. else today there would not be the ratio of a relatively small number of black hats compared to the huge number of compromised computer systems in the first place.
     
  24. PrevxHelp

    PrevxHelp Former Prevx Moderator

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    Prevx 4 has functionality similar to this tool (giving the user a local log of changes on their system) but this tool is not affiliated with Prevx, will never come with a Prevx installation, and will never say the word "Prevx" on any part of it.

    I'd be concerned for users in general if they saw that malware had stolen their identity but were too lazy to save themselves months of trouble and thousands of dollars?
     
  25. Habakuck

    Habakuck Registered Member

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    Just one example: http://www.prevx.com/
    Scroll down to the "Threats missed by other security vendors" table.

    It is just my opinion: I won't do marketing like that... i like the unboastful way.
     
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