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Does this product contravene UK consumer protection legislation?

Oldwilliam
This seems to be a very useful software tool for patching/warning the home user about vulnerabilities and about malware such as trojans, but as it's labelled as an "anti-virus" product, and no-one has ever yet demonstrated the existence of a virus for a *nix-based operating system (or else they would have claimed the substantial prize offered for many years by Netproject for infecting a properly-configured Linux box with a virus!), does this product breach UK consumer protection legislation? It certainly claims, by implication, that *nix viruses exist, the truth of which Sophos would have to demonstrate publicly (e.g. to the Advertising Standards Authority) if a complaint was made.
:1000073


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    If you search Wikipedia for "Linux Malware" you will find a page that lists over a dozen AV applications for linux as well as 30 items under the "Virus" category. It does also mention that the danger of any of these is quite minimal. I know wikipedia isn't the most reliable of sources at times, but I think this is proof enough that viruses ARE possible.

    No.  Nothing on Wikipedia, by its very nature, can ever be evidence of anything, far less proof.  I was tempted to look up the page to which you refer, and to amend it to "prove" that you can use Windows to hack into US Government IT systems and fire nuclear missiles, but it just isn't necessary.

    And I haven't bothered to do so myself, but go through the list to which you refer, and strike out all those that are packages for running on Linux mail transport agents to detect and/or quarantine Windows viruses, e.g. Clam AV, etc.  Then, post the remainder (if any) on this thread.  I promise to take those results and investigate further, even if it's only to protect anyone who might otherwise be tempted to pay good money for snake oil, which is what "sofware to deal with Linux viruses" is, by definition.  I've already acknowledged that the Sophos package deals with Trojans, malware, and vulnerabilities, and anything that might store or pass on Windows viruses... but not Linux viruses.

    I seem to recall their being a few privlege escalation vulnerabilities in the past

    Sure.  I acknowledged "vulnerabilities" right from the start.  But a "vulnerability" isn't a virus, which is what this thread is about, and the word "virus" is used in the name applied by Sophos to the product, which brings it right into target as far as legislation governing product descriptions is concerned - my basic point.

    :1000999
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  • 0

    If you search Wikipedia for "Linux Malware" you will find a page that lists over a dozen AV applications for linux as well as 30 items under the "Virus" category. It does also mention that the danger of any of these is quite minimal. I know wikipedia isn't the most reliable of sources at times, but I think this is proof enough that viruses ARE possible.

    No.  Nothing on Wikipedia, by its very nature, can ever be evidence of anything, far less proof.  I was tempted to look up the page to which you refer, and to amend it to "prove" that you can use Windows to hack into US Government IT systems and fire nuclear missiles, but it just isn't necessary.

    And I haven't bothered to do so myself, but go through the list to which you refer, and strike out all those that are packages for running on Linux mail transport agents to detect and/or quarantine Windows viruses, e.g. Clam AV, etc.  Then, post the remainder (if any) on this thread.  I promise to take those results and investigate further, even if it's only to protect anyone who might otherwise be tempted to pay good money for snake oil, which is what "sofware to deal with Linux viruses" is, by definition.  I've already acknowledged that the Sophos package deals with Trojans, malware, and vulnerabilities, and anything that might store or pass on Windows viruses... but not Linux viruses.

    I seem to recall their being a few privlege escalation vulnerabilities in the past

    Sure.  I acknowledged "vulnerabilities" right from the start.  But a "vulnerability" isn't a virus, which is what this thread is about, and the word "virus" is used in the name applied by Sophos to the product, which brings it right into target as far as legislation governing product descriptions is concerned - my basic point.

    :1000999
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