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Thread ID: 43682 2004-03-23 13:12:00 AVG updates and Netsky K Robin S_ (86) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
224630 2004-03-23 13:12:00 Apparently Netsky K is the up and coming kid on the virus block. I have updated my free AVG version but cannot find anything on the AVG site that tells me what viruses the various updates add to its database. Can anyone tell me if there is a way to do this, or is this facility only available in the paid versions, or not at all? I would like to know if AVG can deal to Netsky K yet. Robin S_ (86)
224631 2004-03-23 13:30:00 Using the virus encyclopedia search on the GriSoft web-site will tell you what viruses they know about.

NetSky.K has been around since March 08, 2004 so chances are it is picked up, they are up to about NetSky.P last time I looked.

At the end of the day, even if your antivirus software doesn't detect it, if you get an e-mail address from someone you don't know (or even someone you do) and don't like the look of it, don't open the attachment. Easy as that.
whiskeytangofoxtrot (438)
224632 2004-03-23 23:54:00 Thanks WTF. I am aware of the encyclopaedia but it would be nice if there was something more positive than just assuming that anything in the encyclopaedia is protected against.

I am also very vigilant about opening e-mail attachments but like to have at least a second line of defence. Netsky K is an IE exploit which reputedly can install itself without the attachment being opened. My version of IE is said by M$ to be protected from the exploit but how reliable is that?
Robin S_ (86)
224633 2004-03-24 02:37:00 As far as I am aware, NetSky.K doesn't affect IE at all. whiskeytangofoxtrot (438)
224634 2004-03-24 03:27:00 I can find no mention of Netsky.K on AVG's website. I hope that doesn't mean that it isn't in the virus database. :-(

Just as well it appears to come in with a .pif attachment - they are easily spotted and given the one-finger salute.
Susan B (19)
224635 2004-03-24 11:00:00 Yes, Susan. Netsky K is not in the AVG database and this is behind my original post - when a virus is listed in the database does it mean that AVG deals to it, and conversely, if one isn't in the database does one assume that there is no protection from it? This would be useful to know. I presume you have read about NK at Symantec. Another on the rise is Netsky P (also known as Netsky Q which is in the AVG database. Robin S_ (86)
224636 2004-03-24 13:03:00 AVG usually detect incoming viruses within a day or two of release. My address is in a shed-load of address books and I get a large number of viruses and quite often scan them with AVG on a colleagues machine if I want to find out what they are, as I don't run a virus scanner on my individual machine (no need to).

But really you can hardly begrudge them if they don't, building heuristics for picking up viruses etc is hard work, and at the rate they are coming out at the moment I wouldn't be surprised if they missed one or two.

I mean hell with the amount of money no-one is paying them you can hardly blame them if development is slow.
whiskeytangofoxtrot (438)
224637 2004-03-24 22:32:00 > But really you can hardly begrudge them if they don't, building heuristics for picking up viruses etc is hard work, and at the rate they are coming out at the moment I wouldn't be surprised if they missed one or two.

> I mean hell with the amount of money no-one is paying them you can hardly blame them if development is slow.

Rubbish. They would be doing the work for the paying subscribers so it wouldn't be a huge effort to pop the same definititions into the free version.
Susan B (19)
224638 2004-03-24 22:57:00 Get real Susan
Do you really think they are going to give free users the same priority as those who have paid.
Jim B (153)
224639 2004-03-25 00:11:00 I didn't say that free users would be given the same priority as those who have paid, Jim .

Free users might have to wait a little longer, maybe, but I would find it hard to believe that the paid users would have a much larger virus definition list than the free users .

I could be wrong though, of course .
Susan B (19)
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