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Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: zivilist on March 29, 2005, 08:07:20 AM

Title: number of known viruses?
Post by: zivilist on March 29, 2005, 08:07:20 AM

hi,

where can I find info about number of known viruses?

I can't find nothing in

...\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\report\*
or
...\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\log\*

or directly in the programGUI

thanks

Title: Re: number of known viruses?
Post by: Spyros on March 29, 2005, 09:51:28 AM

A quick way: Start avast --> Tools --> Virus database. Put an asterisk * in the field and press enter. Keep in mind that almost every AV company counts them differently. This has been explained a lot of times before.

Title: Re: number of known viruses?
Post by: zivilist on March 29, 2005, 11:24:56 AM

thanks.
You are right, there are only 35788 viruses known in avast. (Antivir: 130.000?!)
(current stable free version )

Title: Re: number of known viruses?
Post by: Spyros on March 29, 2005, 11:36:03 AM

Again: numbers don't mean much because everybody counts the virus samples different. Avast & antivir have about the same detection. If avast put a "1" in front of the current number (avast: 135.788), would it have better detection? No, it would just make you feel more secure, but you wouldn't be. Keep in mind that Kaspersky (best detection overall) counts about 123.000 (with _x bases, which includes spyware). So, do you really think antivir detects more than Kaspersky? I don't.

Title: Re: number of known viruses?
Post by: Lisandro on March 29, 2005, 01:43:01 PM

This was discussed a lot in the past...

1. There are a marketing issue involved. Companies estimate the number of viruses by high.
2. There are different counts possible: variants, etc.
3. There is not an international rule for virus naming, so same virus could be consider one or more by other company.
4. Scanning settings are very important.
5. Active viruses (ITW) are really more important then the whole number.
6. Generic signatures and heuristic detections cannot be really counted as 'virus detection'.

Well, etc. etc.
Trust avast!