Is security software becoming a security risk?

Computerworld ^ | November 23, 2007 | Robert McMillan

[SunkenCiv]

Antivirus software must open and inspect data in hundreds, if not thousands, of file formats. One bug in the software that does this can lead to a serious security breach. Zoller and his colleague Sergio Alvarez have been looking into this issue for the past two years and they've found more than 80 parser bugs in antivirus software, most of which have not yet been patched. The flaws they've found affect every major antivirus vendor, and many of them could allow attackers to run unauthorized code on a victim's system, Zoller said... Although attackers have exploited parsing bugs in browsers for years now, with some success, Zoller believes that because antivirus software runs everywhere, and often with greater administrative rights than the browser, these flaws could lead to even greater problems in the future... Research into parsing bugs has been spurred by a heightened focus in recent years on "fuzzing" software, which is used by researchers to flood software with a barrage of invalid data in order to see if the product can be made to crash. This is often the first step toward discovering a way of running unauthorized software on a victim's machine.

[SunkenCiv]

Microsoft exec calls XP hack 'frightening' by Tom Espiner, November 13, 2007

[SunkenCiv]

Math Calculation Errors Could Compromise Cryptographic Algorithms
Ministry of Tech | November 20th 2007 | “Ryan”
Posted on 11/25/2007 2:50:05 PM EST by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1930321/posts

[MarkL]

Microsoft exec calls XP hack 'frightening' by Tom Espiner, November 13, 2007

Any "computer professional" could have told you this... As someone who's dealt with Windows computers on networks for many years, when I'm setting up a brand new computer, I don't hook it up to the network until after I've patched it as far as I can, and installed both AV and anti-spyware software. I recall a demonstration that showed a Windows XP system on a live Internet link being attacked and compromised within 10 minutes of going live.

Mark

[SunkenCiv]

I’d read that a new W install has a 50/50 chance of infection within 30 minutes of going online for the first time.

[goldstategop]

Most security software works as long as its fully patched. In real life, you're not going to get a massive zero day attack on your PC. The hysteria is greatly exaggerated.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[goldstategop]

Windows Vista is more much more secure due to Windows hardening. You have to attack the machine at the lowest level of privileges and unlike in Windows XP that reduces the number of vectors available for attack simply because permissions no longer run at an "all or nothing" level.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Shimmer]

Minutes? I’ve seen it be seconds.

[SunkenCiv]

Most security software works as long as its fully patched.

Patched?

[stylin19a]

They hacked XP running Service Pack 1, running no anti-virus, running no firewall and running an unsecured wirless network....and it's a big deal it was hacked ?

" SOCA representative said that applying Service Pack 2 to XP, with all the patches applied, and running a secured wireless network is "perfectly sensible way to do it."

[SunkenCiv]

Must be the MS executive quoted has a low threshold.