The patch is a blank file, so size is pretty much zero and it's one file.
Yes, and it offers about as much protection as one would expect from a blank file. That's my point.
As for being worthless, I disagree.
I never said it was worthless. I am actually very careful with my choice of words. You seem to have polarized my view against your own. What I said was:
The malware patch referred to by LeslieAnn (hereafter referred to as "CrapPatchDD") offers very little benefit.
By using that particular choice of words, I acknowledged that it is possible to benefit in some way from CrapPatchDD.
Yes it can be bypassed, so can any protection on your pc...
I believe that saying CrapPatchDD needs to be bypassed is an overstatement. It's a single dummy file. It is more accurate to say CrapPatchDD can be ignored by viruses. The only reason it has any effect on DroidDream is because DroidDream is actively looking for the file and choosing on its own to stop execution.
You can be certain that any future Android viruses (including the next revision of DroidDream should it surface) will not choose to stop execution because of a single dummy file.
...why do you think you have to keep updating your antivirus.
Computers need to be patched to close security vulnerabilities. By closing security vulnerabilities, viruses that haven't even been created yet can be prevented from entering a system.
Antivirus software needs to be updated because old viruses continue to change and new ones are created. By using signature and heuristic detection methods, viruses can be blocked from running on a system.
CrapPatchDD does neither of the above.
Is this a lame patch, maybe. It's a simple fix to what was a big problem at one time.
The purpose of CrapPatchDD is to prevent infection. But it wasn't available until the only known source of infection was removed. So it's a simple fix to what is a virtually non-existent problem, with no additional benefit.
Remember though, not everyone gets everything from the market and we still have the Melissa virus floating around in computers, YEARS after a simple fix was devised.
- The Melissa virus could easily propagate itself both to other systems, and within a system.
Without receiving an update, DroidDream cannot propagate itself.
- Once infected with the Melissa virus, user interaction was required to disinfect the system, and there was no way to warn everyone who was infected, because the virus was propagating itself.
Once infected with DroidDream from the only known source of infection, no user interaction was required to disinfect the system. The infected systems were automatically pushed an update to clean them. Infections were tracked by the market accounts they were installed from, and the virus didn't propagate on its own.
Also, notice that the Melissa virus is not a single virus; it has several variants. But in casual conversation, they are all grouped as one. This is because they exhibited similar behavior and relied on the same vulnerability.
Because of this, only one Melissa virus fix is required. The fix to close the vulnerability.
The Melissa virus is well known, but most people haven't heard of Syndicate, Papa, Marauder, or Mad-Cow. These viruses used the same vulnerability as the Melissa virus, so the same fix prevented them from becoming nearly as wide spread as Melissa was.
CrapPatchDD is the equivalent of stopping just one of the Melissa virus variants and leaving the vulnerability open.
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It's people thinking "I don't need that" or "that's useless" who end up spreading this junk. I know net admins who claim they don't need anti-virus or protection on their pc's because they are "safe". Sorry, but no, you aren't. If one insignificant file stops a bunch of junk from possibly getting on my phone, no matter how remote, I think that's worth it.
I never said I was safe; I never said anyone was safe; I said everyone is at risk and CrapPatchDD does virtually nothing to protect them.
You're pushing for better security. You say people need anti-virus programs on their PC's. We're on the exact same side!
I am not disagreeing with your push for security. I just think that what you are calling a "Malware patch" is grossly insufficient and completely unnecessary if real security is used.
If I told you I didn't need to run any anti-virus software on my computer because I created a file on it that stops the Melissa virus, you'd laugh at me. CrapPatchDD is no different.
I believe there are two kinds of people most likely to spread infections. Those without security, and those who behave carelessly because they think they are protected.
I applaud your efforts. But I consider it a disservice to mislead people into thinking they are safe when they are not.
With CrapPatchDD, the vulnerability remains open. This is not an opinion. It is a fact.
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