I ask, because every time I log on, there is a message from AVG telling me I should update my software! I turned to AVG, out of frustration with McAfee-which caused me all sorts of grief.
So I just wonder-if a hacker succeeds in planting a virus in AVG, are we doomed? :smack:
Update which software? AVG? Windows? When you log on where? Your computer? A web site? Could you really have something that needs updating?
AVG updates their definition files nearly every day. If your AVG installation is not set up to automatically check for updates, you might actually need to update it. You can do this from the AVG Control Center. Open it up, click on Update Manager, and then click on update at the bottom of the window. You can also change your properties and settings for auto-updating here. I have mine set to check for an update every morning between 8 & 9. Hope that helps.
Mines Mystique
Of course he does - any anti-virus program needs constant updating, to keep up with new strains.
The answer to your question is probably that yes, it could get hacked, but the chances are microscopic. A hacker would be more likely to devote their efforts to a commercial product that is distributed to less savvy users, like Norton, just out of the general anti-capitalist mindset of the underground programming world.
Even if they did use AVG as an entry point for a virus, it would be ridiculously difficult. I’d bet a couple bucks that AVG’s servers are well-protected and that they are ready for just about anything.
And then, even if AVG’s defenses failed, they would almost certainly find out quickly and send out another update within a day that fixed the virus. Take, for instance, Trend Micro’s incident in 2005. Trend Micro released an update that slowed computer performance a lot. It was distributed for less than an hour and a half, and it quickly was fixed.
The chances of getting a virus through a definition file tiny compared to the chances of getting a virus newer than your current definitions. Updates are smart. Do them.
Are you using the latest version of AVG, ralph124c?
What Ice Wolf said. AVG is now on verson 7.5 (technically, 7.5.516) and some time ago (don’t recall how long) stopped providing update files for older versions. Upgrading to the current version is a pretty simple download, available on their website.