Re: PLEASE REMOVE THE VIRUS BEFORE MAILING THE LIST...

[Nikola Milutinovic]

> The real problem with Virus scanners as an open source project is
> two fold:
> 1.  The virus writers can look at the source code and determine new
> patterns that will be outside of the scanner's view (granted the script
> kiddies won't be able to do this, but the more advanced virus writers would)

Security through obscurity is not the real security. Besides, new viruses pop up every 
day.

> 2.  All of the existing virus developers have staffs and devote
> resources to finding viruses before they become a problem.  In an open
> source project a consistent effort to accomplish this would be difficult if
> not impossible, making usage risky.  (Is it better to have a false sense of
> hope or no sense of hope at all?)

Yes, the real strength of an AV, today, is not the scanning engine (which is usually 
good), but the promptness of new virus identities being added to the current database.

Nix.