Sydney Tech Guy

Yet another amazingly stupid comment from a security firm in regards to Windows safety… found via Slashdot.

"Security firm Trend Micro has accused Microsoft of giving malware writers a helping hand by advising users not to scan certain files on their PC because ‘they are not at risk of infection.’ Trend Micro warns that by making such information available, Microsoft is effectively creating a hit list for malware writers. ‘Following the recommendations does not pose a significant threat as of now, but it has a very big potential of being one,’ the company’s researcher, David Sancho, writes on the Trend Micro blog."

Well I must say that I would have expected nothing less from the now scared and on the run security firms that build there business on the back of the worlds biggest software company. Its seems to me that ever since Microsoft came out with its Security Essentials  that the traditional anti-virus companies have had the dagger out them. The latest comment is just as nonsensical as the last, this time stating that because Microsoft says you don’t need to scan these files that Malware writers are going to specifically use those files to exploit your system.

Now as I sit here and check my McAfee installation I can see that there is a default list of files to scan which ISNT a full scan, I know all the security companies have a default list of files to scan and while yes you can set it to all files, its never the default. So Why pick on Microsoft specifically for this? The answer, why not. They have a big enough target on there backs and the security firms are all unhappy that they have a free competing product, so why not try and bring them down?

If your worried that your not getting a complete scan, just load up Microsoft Security Essentials and go to settings and make sure the following are blank