Nortons Antivirus question (1 Viewer)

[Thommo]

is it possible for a virus to infect your computer and bypass nortons so it still scans but does not pick up the virus. i hope this makes sense, i know a virus can disable antivirus software so it crashes but i was just wondering if it is possible

 

[:: ck ::]

yes it is... if ur norton is not updated

 

[Winston]

Originally posted by Thommo
is it possible for a virus to infect your computer and bypass nortons so it still scans but does not pick up the virus. i hope this makes sense, i know a virus can disable antivirus software so it crashes but i was just wondering if it is possible

Yes it can, if the virus is not identified, or you do not have the latest virus definitions installed, Nortons Bloodhound feature supposedly attempts to identify foreign viruses, but i don't think it's got a high success at identifying most severe viruses

 

[Thommo]

ok are there any signs of such a virus

 

[Winston]

Originally posted by Thommo
ok are there any signs of such a virus

Well it's really hard to determine if your system is infected by a new unknown virus, primarily because, it may be a bug in the OS that's playing up, or the virus, does not prose much threat to you, rather it just slows down your computer, or internet connection. It's rather difficult to distringuish an unknown virus.

 

[Thommo]

yeh the thing that got me thinking about it was that when i open up nortons control panel thing it flashes red for a sec, plus occaisonally xp freezes and when i restart it goes into prtection mode. all i have to do is use system restore and it works again ( this has only happened twice and both times my cordless mouse stopped working during a game). my friend tells me that this is because my swap file fills up and xp freezes ( i have a small boot partition with only around 200 meg free max)

 

[Winston]

Originally posted by Thommo
yeh the thing that got me thinking about it was that when i open up nortons control panel thing it flashes red for a sec, plus occaisonally xp freezes and when i restart it goes into prtection mode. all i have to do is use system restore and it works again ( this has only happened twice and both times my cordless mouse stopped working during a game). my friend tells me that this is because my swap file fills up and xp freezes ( i have a small boot partition with only around 200 meg free max)

Could we possibly get some screenshots of some of the symptoms you see.

 

[Thommo]

nah its only a split second. i think i am just being paranoid

 

[Huy]

Yep, by it's very nature, it has not been identified (hence it is unknown, by definition). Most of the time NAI or Symantec (and others) will be able to intercept/detect the worm/virus before it reaches your computer, or rather, before it can do "mass" damage, but not completely stopping the virus in it's tracks.

 

[Winston]

Originally posted by Huy
Yep, by it's very nature, it has not been identified (hence it is unknown, by definition). Most of the time NAI or Symantec (and others) will be able to intercept/detect the worm/virus before it reaches your computer, or rather, before it can do "mass" damage, but not completely stopping the virus in it's tracks.

Ahuh that's why i don't get why people brag about NAV, besides the fact the bastards make u upgrade every year, that's about it, it's the most comprehensive AV. Mc Afee just sucks, and some people prefer Panda AV :S god...

 

[Thommo]

ok so if i did have such a virus what would be the best way to detect it. i dont think i do but as i have nortons pretty well updated and run a firewall as well

 

[Winston]

Originally posted by Thommo
ok so if i did have such a virus what would be the best way to detect it. i dont think i do but as i have nortons pretty well updated and run a firewall as well

www.symantec.com

read up on the latest virus releases and the symptoms, there is no way to identify your virus, as most virus, all replicate standard features

 

[Thommo]

so do i just sound paranoid or does it sound like there may be something there?

 

[Huy]

Originally posted by Winston
www.symantec.com
read up on the latest virus releases and the symptoms, there is no way to identify your virus, as most virus, all replicate standard features

www.sarc.com
Symantec's Security Response Centre

Your first stop when a new worm/virus hits the Internet.