No matter what type of system you use, a powerful antivirus is essential to avoid dangerous malware.
Antivirus and antimalware programs scan your computer for hostile files that you have been exposed to or accidentally downloaded. Without it, your computer can be exposed to all kinds of malicious attacks, including hackers that can steal your money or personal information.
A critical bug has been discovered in some of the most popular antimalware programs on the web. If exploited, hackers can backfire and delete files from your system!
Who is watching the guards?
Rack911 security researchers have confirmed a critical bug in 28 of the most popular antimalware programs on the market. If exploited, the antimalware program itself can become infected and hacked, allowing hackers to scan your computer and remove normal system files like malware.
This logical conclusion can absolutely destroy an infected computer. Researchers find that hackers using the exploit can remove virus definitions and render the antimalware program ineffective. Alternatively, they could delete important files from the operating system, which could prevent a computer from starting.
The attack cannot be controlled remotely, but it can be triggered by a load of malware that causes hackers to download their victim. Once installed, the malware can rewrite the names of important system files accordingly. The malware would then intercept the file and delete it with the system file.
Because the problem is so severe, many of the world’s leading cybersecurity players have already repaired their cheap antivirus software to remove the vulnerability. Below you can see the full list of affected software and patch availability.
Avast: Avast Free Antivirus
AVG: AVG AntiVirus for Mac
Avira: Avira Free Antivirus for Windows
Bitdefender: Bitdefender Total Security for Mac.
Bitdefender GravityZone for Windows, Linux and Enterprise
Comodo: Comodo Endpoint Security for Windows, Linux and Enterprise.
ESET: ESET Cyber Security for Mac. Patched; ESET File Server Security for Linux and Enterprise
F-Secure: F-Secure IT protection for Windows and businesses.
F-Secure Linux Security for Linux and Enterprise
FireEye: FireEye Endpoint Security for Windows and Enterprise
Kaspersky: Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac.
Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Windows, Linux and Enterprise
Malwarebytes: Malwarebytes for Windows.
McAfee: McAfee Total Protection for Mac; McAfee Endpoint Security for Windows and Enterprise; McAfee Endpoint Security for Linux and Enterprise
Microsoft: Microsoft Defender for Mac and Enterprise.
Norton: Norton Security for Mac.
Panda: Panda Dome for Windows
Sophos: Sophos Home for Mac.
Sophos Intercept X for Windows and Enterprise.
Sophos Antivirus for Linux and Enterprise
Webroot: Webroot SecureAnywhere for Windows and Mac.
The only major issues right now are Avast, FireEye, Malwarebytes, and Panda. Malwarebytes points out that a solution is in progress. So expect the update to be released in the near future. Microsoft Windows Defender products for Windows 10 are not affected by this problem. Apparently, the only thing Windows Defender should worry about is that Microsoft is updating.
If you are not using Windows or another anti-malware program, you will need to update your software to the latest version if a patch is available. If not, you will need to change and download new anti-malware software that will scan your system safely.
Do not download files for which you are not 100% sure until the error is completely resolved. Avoid opening emails from unknown senders and avoid illegally downloading movies or TV shows. It is currently the largest malware vector for malware. All of these cheap and best antivirus software can be found at Bzfuture.com. To protect the security of your computer.
