Do antivirus software developers create viruses?

The way buisness is conducted in this country now anything is possible.

No doubt, I have downloaded certain software that is anti virus and low and behold it comes with a virus that it "caught". Funny thing though I had just used another anti virus and it told me I was clean...this has happened a lot more than once. I believe the anti virus software companies have this done to show you how great their software works.

I think companies would like to increase their income. But don't really think they would stoop to that low of a way in doing it! It would be taking a very large chance of being discovered. So much so that I don't think that taking such a chance on destroying their company, would be worth such a act! Then on the other hand?????

Probably not, cos the big-names (Norton, McAfee)have too much to lose if found out by authorities.

Maybe the lesser-known av companies do it tho.

I don't have any facts to support this, but I'd like to think that independent virus makers are enough to give AV app companies a run for their $$.

Luckily, this is an opinion poll and not a fact poll

Motive. Method. Opportunity.

You people just know how to get the crazies upset and wasting time about nonsense. Just buybthe software and forget about it. There are more important things in life to think about!
Guy

There is no need for an Anti-Virus author(s) to expend the energy or brain-power to CREATE a virus.
Throughout history there have always been MORE than enough twisted sociopaths who are driven to create havoc and annoyances for mankind's attempts at steps forward...

I defenitely think that the AV software developers creates the viruses or make somebody to create for them. It is pretty hard to understand that people just for the pleassure of hurt everybody create viruses, and so often. It really does not make any sense.

In observing the reactions from Symantec and McAfee, with Sony's Web Rootkit, I believe that they will let things slip through, rather than face the wrath or litigation from ''Special Interest Groups'' as in the case of the RIAA or MPAA.

Although the ''Digital Rights'' may belong to the copyright holder, the computer I have belongs to me.

The companies like Symantec and McAfee better get off the dime or they will lose business to a new start-up. Sitting on one's laurels does not sit well with the end-user computer community.

Just my thoughts,

Steven Moshlak
www.computerlegalexperts.com

Why should they, their are plenty of folks out there that enjoy the rush doing so (creating virus). It has become more of a cat and mouse game between the virus writers and the virus eliminators. My question is when will it end and I can surf and open my email in peace like the olden days?

I know I'm living in a fanstasy world!

First most antiviral professionals must work with many variing number combo formalia which hopefully creates a virus or at least shows flaws or holes of access within a system this tells them what to remedy in the process tho things get released which are always trapped tis called the wild.Many times though numbers floating loose on the internet may join up this causes viral mutation which spawns another virus;the reason behind so many checks and balances in software devel.and he internet.Second John McCaffee's group got busted for itLITERALLY creating and releasing as well as bogus antitrojan claims,so I've read.

My suspicions cannot be proven, of course, but i have used the 2 major antivirus developers software over the years (McAfee & Norton) and have found that BOTH 'discover' a virus or two immediately after downloading & installation. But the BIG give away is the so called 'free virus check' they offer BEFORE you purchase. Both of these developers have 'discovered' a virus during that 'free virus check'...yet there was no sign of a virus BEFORE i participated.
Frankly i believe they ARE in the virus 'creating' business...but who can prove it?
As a self appointed 'sleuth' i have, as i said purchased both company's products (and paid for them naturally, but with an "ouch' from my bank account) simply because i loathe deceit & rip offs.
Whilst i am all for free enterprise and here i diverse slightly, i find the common practise now of forcing their customers to pay annualy for an 'updated version' of what was originally purchased avaricious & reprehensible. This is also applicable to many other software vendors.
I mean you & i have no choice, we HAVE to have virus protection, so we dig deep to buy it. Then 12 months later we (& to many of us it IS a financial harship) find we MUST repurchase. The 'repurchase' usually is not less but MORE (because of 'improvements' they tell us)...and so it goes on.
My, rather impossibly idealistic 'dream' is that Microsoft could help out with this by incorporating a regularly updated virus protection in their new system...Vista, i believe? Not for the big business sector but for the average homeuser whose budget is stretched to screaming point.
Amusing..huh? Like that's going to happen!!

who can not find a cure to anything becuase its more lucrative to keep a virus alive

That would be dirty pool!

Philip Kimball

pretty unlikely I should think - after all,if they were discovered they would lose their business and face some pretty hefty fines wouldn't they?

I THINK THAT THIS IDEA IS RIDICULOUS.

BY MAKING THIS SUGGESTION- IT BRINGS TO MIND THAT YOU
CAN MAKE THIS SAME SUGGESTION ABOUT ANY COMPANY THAT IS MAKING MONEY.

JUST BECAUSE A COMPANY IS MAKING MONEY WITH ANTI VIRUS APPLICATIONS DOES NOT MEAN THEY CREATE VIRUSES TO STAY IN BUSINESS OR TO KEEP ON TOP.

YOU CAN APPLY THIS TO CAR COMPANIES THAT MANUFACTURE CARS THAT RUST. - BY SAYING THIS IS PLANNED OBSALESCENCE.

YOU CAN APPLY THIS TO TIRE COMPANIES THAT DONT MAKE RUBBER TIRES THAT NEVER WEAR OUT.

I DISAGREE- THIS IS CALLING THEM THIEVES. I THINK THIS INFERENCE IS TERRIBLE. PLEASE GIVE THEM SOME CREDIBILITY.

ITS NOT AS IF YOU HAVE TO PAY A FORTUNE FOR AN ANTI VIRUS PROGRAM. I CAN UNDERSTAND IF THE PROGRAMS WERE $500 EACH- THAT YOU COULD POSSIBLE INFER THIS.

BUT I PAID $32.00 CANADIAN FOR MY BIT DEFENDER 8 HOME EDITION WHICH HAS BEEN KEEPING ME RELIGIOUSLY CLEAN.
AND MY RENEWAL IS MUCH LESS.

COME ON. GIVE THEM SOME CREDIBILITY.

Elinorann978
Montreal

Sorry, I don't think there was a second (or third) shooter in the grassy knoll in Dallas, I don't think Roosevelt knew the Japanese would attack Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, and I especially don't think antivirus software developers invent their own viruses!!!

Why I believe that it would be stupid for an antivirus software developer to create viruses and put them in their programs would be because if people buy their software, and are still experiencing viruses, they are going to think that the software doesn't work and are going to go buy a different antivirus software! The developers would be losing money!

Definitely.

Theirs' a billion dollar bussiness and they need to keep the goose which lays the golden egg alive. They may not do it themselvs, but they have thier Haliburton's to do it for them....most of them anyway. There may be those jerks who have a thrill of doing it themslevs, but they are a minority.
Have you noticed how quickly the anatiodote for a virus is found? and how much press each viruses gets, to scare users to stay with virus software?

I got an atack from PayPal! They handel my money. Not cool.

Since the dawn of viruses, there have been $$$ in the eyes of large anti-virus companies. Who can blame them? It's almost as sure as paying taxes, or buying burial plots for as long as there is binary data floating over airwaves, cables, etc...there will be viruses. In the midst of that, and I won't name one NOR a TON of companies, but the profits to be lost due to a slow down of viruses or none at all would be absolutely devistating to some. It's a known fact that many of the larger companies hire ex hackers, virus makers, script kitty attacking used-to-be's, to supposedly combat the new threats to our desktops.
One could argue that this is a wonderful idea, who better to combat the threats than those who used to create them? On the other hand, who's to say they don't make a great mark in the market? They have the knowledge and everything they need at their disposal to go for the gold and throw in a new virus or two, to keep the company dollar flow assured. When a fix is needed, how much faster can someone figure this out than the one who created it? This can sure make a company look to be a hero in the anti-virus industry.
This would somewhat be on the order of, for example,( Someone rescuing innocent lives from a house fire, being looked at as a hero, yet they themselves started the fire for this purpose.) Don't get me wrong, I am not saying all viruses are created by the companies themselves but it is certainly not far from their reach to do so, if not in their laps. Without any proof that this is going on, all we can do is speculate. Perhaps the starting intention was good, to stop viruses from attacking our computers, which now seems to be more confusing than the virus codes themselves. Some softwares have become so bloated and system integrated, they have become almost worse than the viruses we try to protect against. As with making laws against any little thing that disturbs us, and many other things in life, we seek to find and trust in this protection until the protection is the enemy itself.
Paul K

Yes. I do believe in the system, " if you have a product on the market which everyone must have, you make sure that there is ALWAYS a need for your product " hence the reason for pest control warfare. If pest control worked, no-one would have to but it,YEH!

If you're talking about the online scan merchants that seem to mysteriously find a notable number of infections and then demand you "buy" the software to remover the infections. Yes absolutely that is a scam and the sad thing is way too many novices try those sites out, get a shock and think oh my god I need to get this software. They've paid for rubbish.

I think it's a huge stretch to suggest the main stream primary AV apps like McAfee, Trend Micro, Symantec and others are either individually or collectively conspiring to create viruses and then issuing the means to disinfect a system for the purpose of self preservation or money.

What do you base that on? A time frame isn't proof. None of what any of the conspiracy theorists have said constitute proof. In fact all of the theories if presented in a court of law as evidence would be thrown out and treated with the contempt they deserve.

I happen to agree with one comment that pointed out one very important aspect of this debate that I think all of the conspiracy theorists have conveniently overlooked and that is peoples reputations are being damaged with these allegations and I think personally that's pretty gutless. Easy to throw mud but how would you feel if it was being thrown at you and you weren't guilty as claimed?

Try a bit of consideration before you trash the integrity and reputations of people you don't know based on so called proof which at best is pretty lame.

I really don't know if our antivirus companies we are paying for would develop viruses. What would be the reason? I see we are paying for a service to protect our computers.

I found myself having to reply again. I read many of the posts and said to myself, "people are the same even in a matter of anti-virus, as they are with the government."
Why does it have to be one of two ways? Either it IS a conspiracy, or it's NOT? Those who think it is are paranoid and crazy, those who do not are close minded and stupid. This is the same problem people have with every day life, government, Microsoft etc...In my opinion, to think to the extreme either way is what weakens us to be close minded to either side. This may be a simple anti-virus issue but it shows how we react either way. I feel it's better not to think I am right about either, since if I am that sure about any issue without absolute proof, then I feel I would be a blinded fool. It's not so much my opinion as it is my common sense to say, I will simply keep an open mind, and an open eye and I won't be clouded by press or other's opinons or cut downs. This way I am not pressing my strict opinion upon others and making accusations of which I can't prove either way.
I will admit that people in general (not all) but many seem to side with the higher powers, be it large companies, etc..who are wealthy and therefore can do no wrong. I don't try to go overboard with this in the discussion of anti virus but it is the same principal. These days we look at people for what they have, not who they are, even more than previous years. So, people ask, why would such a large company who has so much money, do such a thing? Greed. This is what drives us all to want all benefits of life, isn't it? Once you have it all , the only thing left is greed and power, this is not an opinion, but proven truth time and time again.
On the other hand, others shouldn't assume wealthy companies are crooked just because. There are companies big and small that are and aren't crooked. Microsoft has more than raised suspicion and has out right tried to corner the market, pushing and forcing smaller companies out. This doesn't mean all would do this. But to say for sure without knowing is as blind as saying for sure this won't happen.
Either extreme is any good for us personally or as a people. We are so damn stuck about ourselves, what we want, that i'm right, that they are wrong, that we cannot bring out our own common sense to simply say, well, this could happen, this could be, not saying it will, may not. We spend so much time arguing that if there is any real corruption going on, we sure as heck wouldn't know it as it would slip right by.

Paul