Vista fails to make the antivirus grade
Virus Bulletin puts Microsoft’s LiveOneCare to the test; it fails, along with antivirus software from McAfee and GDATA; criticism mounts about Vista’s ability to handle the WildList
If patience is a virtue, heaven awaits those who wait a few more months before buying Microsoft’s new Vista operating system for Windows. According to Virus Bulletin, which tests all antivirus software against current real world viruses, Microsoft’s LiveOneCare, as well as McAfee’s VirusScan Enterprise, GDATA’s AntiVirusKit 2007, and Norman’s VirusControl all failed to achieve the much-coveted VB100 certification. “With the number of delays that we’ve seen in Vista’s release, there’s no excuse for security vendors not to have got their products right by now,” said John Hawes, technical consultant at Virus Bulletin.
Virus Bulletin’s VB100 certification can only be achieved if the program can successfully detect all the viruses on the WildList, a publicly available list of viruses currently affecting systems, and not generate any false alarms. Virus Bulletin tests all the programs for free and does not allow companies to do re-tests. While not stating the specific flaws of each program or stating which one is more faulty, “security companies voluntarily send in their products for testing and certifying, and I had my head in my hands when I saw how poorly tailored some of the products were,” said Hawes, noting that anti-virus software from CA, Fortinet, F-Secure, Kaspersky, Sophos, and Symantec successfully achieved VB100 certification.
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