BleepingComputer.com: No antivirus, no Internet!

Today the Australian Standing Committee on Communications published their report on Cybercrime entitled Hackers, Fraudsters and Botnets: Tackling the Problem of Cyber Crime. This report is a whopping 294 pages and contains a lot of information about the various components of cybercrime and methods of reducing it.

One interesting recommendation by the committee was to make it so ISPs are required to notify end users if they detect that there computers are infected. This includes providing basic help as well as adding to the ISPs terms of use the following:

"a requirement that acceptable use policies include contractual obligations that require a subscriber to:
   - install anti-virus software and firewalls before the Internet connection is activated;
   - endeavour to keep e-security software protections up to date; and
   - take reasonable steps to remediate their computer(s) when notified of suspected malware compromise."

If the end user did not follow these guidelines and make good faith efforts to clean their machines then the ISP would have the right to shutdown their connection.

Interesting. I wonder how Linux machines would fare; I've read that the available antivirus programs only target Windows (and Mac?) malware.

Avast have a Linux version of their antivirus and I'm sure there are others out there.

http://www.avast.com/linux-home-edition

I have BitDefender antivirus for Unices installed on my Ubuntu. I use it to scan the Windows partitions primarily.

BTW, Australia is getting tough on internet usage. Earlier there was news that Australian ISPs have to retain internet usage log for a customer for up to 10 years. At present, the limit is 9 months.

Romeo29, on Jun 22 2010, 02:39 PM, said:

It is only a proposal at the moment. And according to this article, at present ISPs cannot retain any data without an interception warrant.

MadDawg, on Jun 22 2010, 01:20 AM, said:

Linux is so user-configurable, and there are so many different versions, that the chances of picking up a virus are quite slim. Even though Linux is gaining in popularity, virus-breeders target Windows-based systems almost exclusively, although some target Apple products as well.

Exactly. This my cause of concern (or rather, curiosity), as Linux users would be required to install an AV program even though it would not really be necessary. It's not a big deal in all honesty, but it would be waste.

As long as you stay pretty aware of stuff, its actually quite easy to keep your machine clean. Or, at least for me.

AVG also has a free Linux version:

http://free.avg.com/it-en/download.prd-afl

"Vaerli" said:

Tendency this year, as pointed out by a Kaspersky study (don't have the reference atm), is that malware will be distributed by legitimate websites. So webservers are being attacked more oftens. I've personally had cases of legitimate (government, university, e-shops, etc..) infected websites here in Italy that sum up to over 300 websites since January. Most of them were infecting machines with rogue antivirus. Techniques vary from using 503 redirects in the root config file, to javascript code inserted on the index.html page "coded" with Charcode and unescape functions. I've encountered one specific case where a lot of 100 website were infected with a

Quote

section.

Thanks for the document Grinler!

In the states some of the ISPs actually disconnect users who they determine have viruses on. But then they call and we help them out. and they get back on the internet and get re infected in a short while, but hey. You can only do so much.

Quote

Yeah - Sure -
This is one person who can keep a site clean ?????
Again it is Big Brother wanting to run everything but knowing nothing , when you know the whole story -
Next move is to ban all Mac Books unless you have Anti Virus installed -
As an Aussie I think it is totally stupid (as usual) ---

interesting, though that would make me mad. I dont like anyone telling me what I HAVE to install on my computer for any reason, yes, having an antivirus is a good idea, and very smart, but I personally think if I don't want to have one, then I shouldnt have to, and if I get a virus on it its my own stupid fault and I shouldnt whine about it. But still, you know, oh well.

If the virus or malware was infecting you and you alone, then it would not matter. But the kind of malware they are making today, not only infects you but they turn your computer into a zombie, infecting others and using it for cyber crime. This should not be allowed. Cyber crime through malware has become an pandemic and a world wide scale vaccination is necessary.

Hey guys. Sorry to get in the middle of this one, but I just have a few things to say. I totally agree with Romeo29 and others who don't agree with the proposal for ISPs. They have no right to monitor us. In my opinion, I say, it's 2010, it's the new age, get with it, and everyone should learn how to deal with their own dang malware issues! And it's not a sin to get infected as long as you didn't purposely click something,. For instance, my friend from Ny. She got a rootkit on her computer, and folks, it most certainly wasn't her fault. Supposedly some dued from, we think the UK, hacked her and physically put it there! Now i know that on this board, the philosophy is malware on a user's computer, automatically the user's fault, well not exactly. My May issue is a great example. I clicked a file, and every security program told me it was fine, so you think I didn't click it? Why wouldn't I? When I knew it was malware, I just relaxed, went to where Win Patrol pointed me, deleted the files I knew to be malicious, and everything was fine. NOD helped me out in the end. That's the way it should be for all users these days. Computers are the new age, and I see the day when there is no more paper, no more snail mail, and all electronic. In terms of linux. If you look at securelist.com, there is one virus that jumps out at me for that system and like 499 others. ever heard of virus.Linux.4096? That's KL's term for a nasty old file infector that only infects linux systems. Sorry for the rant, but I've gotta let it out somewhere.

Chromebuster

chromebuster, on Jun 26 2010, 07:11 AM, said:

This is simply not true. Our philosophy is if a user has malware on their computer, we will help them clean it off.