1 out of 3 users with up-to-date antivirus software are still infected with malware

 

research shows that 32% of users with up-to-date antivirus software installed on their computers are actually infected with malware.

The survey was conducted between January 1st and March 31st 2011 with 489,469 users who scanned their computer . While nearly two thirds of users (320,279) had an up-to-date antivirus program installed, some 169,190 users had not. Of even greater concern was that 101,498 (32%) of those with the latest antivirus software were found to be infected with malware.

 “Our research shows that traditional antivirus software cannot keep up with cyber criminals. Despite all their efforts, it is often days or even weeks before some suppliers of antivirus programs release a solution to a new threat.”
“We also found that not all programs detect the same threats, so the only way for users to be really sure would be to combine multiple anti-malware programs on their PCs.” 

Two key conclusions have been drawn from the findings:

• It is not enough to assume a PC is protected just because antivirus software is installed. Users should scan their PC regularly using a different vendor to gain a second opinion.
• Although most antivirus programs are able to detect sophisticated threats, not all are able to remove them completely.