OneCare Fails to Protect Against All Viruses

Just when you thought it was safe to browse the Internet --

A recent examination of Microsoft's new virus and malware protection software, OneCare, has revealed that the product is already out of date. That means there are plenty of threats floating around the web that can bypass OneCare's defenses and infect a computer.

The study was performed by British computer publication "Virus Bulletin", which is widely respected for its "VB100" tests. These examinations are considered a benchmark in accurately displaying the potential threats for a program like OneCare. (Source: astalvista.com)

So, what did Virus Bulletin do?

The company took fifteen programs from Microsoft's new operating system, Vista, and tested them for virus vulnerability. Virus Bulletin used its "WildList", a collection of the most recent malware threats slithering their way through the world wide web, including Trojans, worms, and other problems.

Of those fifteen Vista programs, five failed to make the grade. Most shocking was the revelation of OneCare's breakdown, with another surprise coming as McAfee's VirusScan Enterprise 8.1i also dropped the ball.

For those wondering, there were some notable successes. This includes virus programs which detected each and every virus in the "WildList". Some heroes include Grisoft's AVG, Sophos' Anti-Virus, and Symantec's AntiVirus.

Although OneCare for XP launched last year, the most recent edition for Vista should have been updated to deal with new WildList threats. The failure has left many users surprised, including Virus Bulletin technical consultant John Hawes, who remarked "it's fairly unusual that so many [programs] failed the test". (Source: yahoo.com)