Spyware Warrior

suzi · Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 6:21 pm Post subject: Notice for AVG users

http://securityandthe.net/2008/11/10/avg-virus-scanner-removes-critical-windows-file/

goldengreek · Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 3:51 am Post subject:

Thanks for the info Suzi. They have a huge customer base and I feel sorry for all the users of AVG. Sure glad I only use Kaspersky.

Osage · Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 4:33 pm Post subject:

Kodus for Susie but I wonder if goldengreek misses the point.

Be it resolved, us non user of AVG Antivirus can celebrate, and thank our lucky stars we were smart enough to not use AVG, lets us band together, form that collective conga line, and start administering the AVG dope slaps.

Worse yet, AVG comes back with a totally ineffectual catch 22 response. Now that user32.dll is deleted, windows will not boot, so unless the user that is effected lacks the resource of another bootable computer to possibly learn the cause of their no boot problem, and then also are not knowledgeable enough to boot to dos, or maybe safe mode with networking, they are totally unable to restore the needed missing user32.dll.

All in all, one small step by man, one giant boneheaded play by AVG.

But the mistake may be in assuming that any AV or anti spyware company is not equally capable of making the same mistake in ANY update they feed us. Computer logic and human logic are simply two different things, maybe 2020 hindsight, AVG should have better tested before they released, but if anything, Kaspersky, who releases updates at near the speed of light, may be the application to be beware of.

All in all, the road to hell is paved with good intentions, damned if we do and damned if we do not.

ErikMouse · Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 1:23 am Post subject:

I am surprised that this never effected me and I have been using AVG Anti-Malware 7.5 up until now. I have not seen this problem happen on any of my computers. Maybe AVG/Grisoft wasn't that boneheaded at all, otherwise they would have gotten the Anti-Virus/Spyware/Mal-Ware/Adware vendor "Bonehead of the Month" award if there was such an award for Anti-Virus/Spyware/Mal-Ware/Adware vendors that currently do not have their software listed on the rouge/suspect anti-spyware program list already.

P.S. I think it would be much serious than that if you had an Anti-Virus/Anti-Spyware program that detected autoexec.bat. config.sys, command.com, win.ini, win.exe, .etc and majority of the .dll files in the Windows/System and Windows/System32 directories as being mal-ware and recommended deleting them all which is a really bad idea as you will end up having to re-install Windows if you remove all of this.