Polls

There are stories about computer security in the news every day, but it can be hard to find an unbiased opinion, or even hard facts. Virus Bulletin would like to know your experiences and opinions about the topics that concern computer users. Whether you're the CEO of an anti-malware company, administrator of a large corporate network or a home user, we'd like to know about your experiences and opinions.

On this page you will find an overview of the previous polls that have run on Virus Bulletin. The current poll can be found on the right-hand side of the page.

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Previous polls

Should anti-virus vendors reimburse customers for damage caused by false positives?

Do you use the same password(s) across multiple websites?

Are you still running IE 6?

How do you run your anti-malware solution?

Have you ever come across a fake anti-virus product?

Would you be willing to give 1 cent to charity for every email you sent, if that would help stop spam?

Does your company have an IT security policy?

How should software and OS patching/security updates be managed?

Should Mac and Linux users be running security/anti-malware software?

Does your organization have a password policy?

How much trust do you put in the warnings that appear next to sites listed in search engine results?

Who in your company is responsible for installing software patches?

How are your spam levels compared to two months ago?

Should anti-virus software be free for personal use?

Will taking client-side security 'into the cloud' provide better security for the end user?

Will the current banking crisis lead to an increase in phishing attacks?

Have you ever been conned by a phishing email?

Is it reasonable to teach virus writing as part of a computer security course?

Have you ever actually read an End-User License Agreement?

Is 47 months imprisonment sufficient punishment for a convicted spammer?

Should AV software check search engine results for malicious sites even before the user clicks on them?

Will new browsers like Firefox 3, Internet Explorer 8 and Opera 9.5 help fight web-based malware?

When do you feel most at risk from malware and cybercrime?

What was the main reason for choosing your current anti-virus product?

Are virus-writing contests a good idea?

Should online banking customers be held liable for losses via phishing/online scams if they don't have adequate protection on their PCs?

How often do you check your spam folder for false positives?

Do you use security software on your mobile phone?

Do you ever forward chain letters?

The results of 1.3 per cent of all Google searches contain sites serving malware. Should search engines do more to prevent malicious sites appearing in their results?

Who should take ultimate responsibility for computer security?

Has your antivirus software ever produced a false alert?

Some reports suggest that less than 3% of email traffic in December was legitimate. How many spam messages get past your spam filter and make it through to your inbox?

$3.2 billion was lost in phishing attacks in 2007. Do you think this is going to be worse in 2008?

Should governments be allowed to write viruses to bug terrorists?

Has Windows Vista made the web a safer place?

Do you feel safe banking online?

Have you suffered a malware infection that wasn't spotted by your anti-virus software?

Does your company block any social networking sites?

Is it acceptable to demand money for information on software vulnerabilities?

Current poll

When do you install software updates?

Comments

today

by ronen katz, 28 July 2010, 08:02

every day or 2

by ronen katz, 28 July 2010, 08:04

as soon as i have some time

by ronen katz, 28 July 2010, 08:06

Yes, ofcourse! They must be installed, no matter what, for one's own good.

by sid_678, 01 August 2010, 14:45

I install them on my own system as soon as they are released ... after I have verified they won't cause "other" issues, I update my remaining users. I don't need another Bad Microsoft SQL Server patch issue. :^)

by BetaTest, 03 August 2010, 19:58

antimalware updates at clients as soon as they are released, at server 12 hours after release, at not-always-online laptops before they want to be able to login at the network

by Stefan Ludowicy, 09 August 2010, 18:40

i install updates when i have enough information about it.

i always check forums etc. for info before i update / upgrade.

updating a program can cause problems with other programs....

i have more then once needed to reinstall an older version of some program to get eveything working again.

an exception is Microsoft´s security updates & definitions for my A/V-programs of course.

by HACKERMAN1, 11 August 2010, 19:21

Why Norman not mapped in RAP averages quadrant ?

by deva kumar, 13 August 2010, 05:45

Hi Deva

Thanks for your question.

The RAP averages quadrant shows the RAP results obtained over the last four tests, with average reactive scores plotted against average proactive scores for each product - but for each product it omits from the average calculations the detection figures from any test during which the product generated false positives. Unfortunately, Norman has generated false positives in each of the last tests, hence it does not currently appear on the averages quadrant.

Kind regards

Helen Martin

Editor, Virus Bulletin

by Helen Martin, 13 August 2010, 06:08

The question is not well defined. Software packages and their related updates can be sorted across a few broad categories.

For software packages, I generally consider a matrix. One axis is 'Core' and 'Niche' and another axis is 'Operating System' and 'App'. While the is obvious overlap where different packages will fall into more than one cell of the matrix, the matrix as a whole allows a much more nuanced approach to 'upgrades'.

For updates, I generally consider a single axis comprised of 3 values: 'Security', 'Bugs' and 'Enhanced Function(s)'.

Updates which are Security related or are important bug fixes and are for 'Core'/'Operating System' packages I usually install immediately when available.

Updates which are only functional enhancements for 'Niche' or 'App' packages may or may not get installed depending on need, testing, time and usefulness.

As asked, the poll question makes no nuanced evaluation of 'updates'. Yet I don't know any shop worth it's salaries which treats all 'updates' the same.

by No Telling, 13 August 2010, 22:22

We always install them after a set period of time - usually a week or two - to help ensure there are no bugs in the software updates. Exceptions are made for seriously urgent patches - and we can push them out in a day or two.

by Mark, 16 August 2010, 06:42

As the commenter above says, there's updates and there's updates - I usually advise doing security stuff as soon as you know it's safe to, but for function upgrades and to a certain extent bug fixes you can usually wait until you really need the new/broken function - so, a combo of 2 and 4 I suppose.

Personally however I try to set auto-update on anything which has it and check for new versions of stuff I use a lot whenever I think about it, so more a mix of 1 and 2.

by Paul Westlake, 19 August 2010, 13:33

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