AV scanners and false positives
Thursday, December 1st, 2011From time to time I receive sad/angry/informative messages from users that some antivirus scanner is reporting my programs as virus or trojan or suspicious file. Obviously those are “false positives” (the AV vendors are using this euphemism to replace “lies”). I have no idea why that happens. In the past I was publishing unsigned setup files, which could be part of the problem. But now everything is signed with my digital signature. The only reason for this to happen is the paranoid nature of some antivirus programs. Yesterday I had to deal with disappointed user who purchased my program just to see Nor**n saying it’s a virus and to stop the tool from working. I refunded the money, but no one could remove the bad taste feeling can’t be cured neither for me nor the user. According to nor**n, this tool is “suspicious” because is not very popular. Boy! I am writing niche software, I never intended to be popular with these tools. DrW*b directly says (lies) there is a virus in other of the tools I am publishing. Why? What virus? Kas***sky isn’t right now reporting any of my tools as virus, but it did that several times in the past… What is this? Why are antivirus programs lying about my programs?
They don’t care about me. They just want to prove to the end-users they are doing their job. Paranoid algorithm? OK, but why on my back? They don’t know my product (because my products aren’t so popular) and it is quite easy to say I am a bad guy, just in case. But what about me? What about my feelings? Seems that antivirus vendors are OK with destroying other people’s reputation (and building their reputation on my back). Well, how they will feel if I put a site online where developers like me to vote about the most stupid antivirus scanner? What if I publish a chart with the “most stupid antivirus” or “biggest lier” heading on top? It will be good way to educate end users what these “false positives” are (lies) and why those antivirus scanners are alarming people with false alarms (paranoid and/or stupid algorithms)… And I may claim (as the antivirus vendors are claiming) that I am making everything to increase people’s security (by informing them about unfair practices of antivirus vendors). And adding one “disclaimer” here and there will do the trick. Everybody’s happy… Except the end user (who doesn’t benefit of that) and software vendors (because to call you liar is the same as calling you virus maker).
The very existence of such situations is very ugly thing. And it comes back every now and then in my life. The “black” version of the Myth of the Eternal Return…
Finally, let me say it in plain text: I am software developer, not a virus maker. I don’t have viruses in my computers and I don’t distribute viruses. I am signing my products with my name (unlike antivirus software that uses soulless algorithms) and I really don’t know what more to do in order to prove my innocence. But as a victim I will continue trying to fight for my reputation and to see the justice to prevail.
