West Nile Virus – Also on PCs?
International hysteria could lead to computer alarms
Bucharest – August 20, 2002 – BitDefender, a leading provider of security software, services and news, warns about possible computer alarms caused by the world’s most publicized subject today – the West Nile Virus.
Intensely publicized events, like the recent World Cup in Japan / Korea, or public personalities – movie stars or artists – were always a favorite subject for computer-attacking, malicious codes. On the other hand, the West Nile Virus is now one of the favorite searching keyword in the Internet and subject to numerous press articles.
“Computer virus writers would finally have a psychological niche to exploit, speculating a natural, real danger” says Mihai Radu, Communication Manager at BitDefender. “The mosquito-borne disease could easily become a computer infection, if the public is not already alerted against this kind of social-engineering. The experience proved that any subject, important enough to represent a story for CNN or other important media at national or international level, triggers a quick-spreading computer virus, conjectured by that story. BitDefender experts are already working on a filtering system for e-mail messages, to protect users against possible false advices or solutions related to the West Nile Virus” concluded Radu.
BitDefender was the first antivirus producer to implement, besides the detection based on virus definitions (daily updated by the Romanian-based laboratory), a behavior-based detection of any malicious software code. The method – derived from a very conscious analysis of malicious codes, allows the user to stop infection even if he was the first to be targeted by the virus. Behavior blocking was recently implemented by other antivirus producers too and it aims to become a standard for the industry.
BitDefender Professional now starts at $ 44.95, and a free 30-day trial version may be downloaded from http://www.bitdefender.com/evaluation/evaluation.php.
About SOFTWIN:
Founded in 1990, SOFTWIN is the leader of the software industry in Romania, employing now more than 400 professionals committed to personalized attention and client orientation. The company developed and applied cutting edge technologies at worldwide level in over 500 software applications and more than 2500 data conversion projects for clients in the United States and Europe. The SOFTWIN headquarters are in Bucharest, Romania.
The mission of the SOFTWIN data security department is to ensure the protection of systems against computer viruses, to do antivirus research, to develop new technologies for monitoring all possible ways to infect a system and, last but not least, to educate the IT public of the danger of computer viruses.
BitDefender and the BitDefender logo are trademarks or registered trademarks, in the United States and certain other countries, of SOFTWIN SRL, Romania. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of the individual companies and are respectfully acknowledged.