OpenAntiVirus Project Founders Interviewed

sheriff_p writes "Rainer Link and Kurt Huwig started the OpenAntiVirus project two years ago. In this interview with Virus Bulletin, they talk about ongoing projects, the advantages of having an open-source anti-virus product, and defend their choice of Java for the main scanning engine."

Questions, Questions, Questions...

[Anonymous Coward]

Does Linux even need a virus scanner? Will it need one if it gets more popular? How many virus scanners are there for Linux?

Is it a good idea to have an open-source virus scanner? Won't the virus writers then know how it works and write their viruses to avoid it? (They didn't address virus writers taking advantage of the source code.)

Re:Questions, Questions, Questions...

[GigsVT]

Just because the source code is open doesn't mean the signature files would be any less secure than current signature files. I don't know what methods current virus scanners use to protect signatures from easy decoding, but we all know that security through obscurity is easily broken. I'd bet a simple memory debugger and a VMWare type environment could easily snarf any signatures from current virus products.

BTW- Timothy, I wasn't trolling, I just though it was funny that your story sat here for 3 hours without a post. No hard feelings. :)

Re:Questions, Questions, Questions...

[Anonymous Coward]

Are the signature files open source too?

definitively needed

[metalpet]

Many (every?) other important building blocks of a complete security solution are already available as open-source/free products (scanners, IDS, full disclosure mailing lists, firewalls, spam blackhole lists, etc..)

It would make a lot of sense to have a good robust portable free anti-virus engine as well. Hopefully you would be able to deploy it on your incoming servers (mail, news, ftp, whatever) or as a standalone client on desktop.

Plus, it would be a Very Good Thing to have a way to catch/block viruses that doesn't depend on an industry that directly relies on virus writers continuously releasing new bad things to keep generating income.

ClamAV

[khanyisa]

See also ClamAV [elektrapro.com] which is an Open Source virus scanner that uses the same signature files as OpenAntiVirus but is written in C In the interview, the guy points out that the speed differences are minimal (Clam being slightly slower) but the reason I'd go for C above Java isn't speed but that it's easier to set up etc.

java

[spectatorion]

is it just me or did they completely skirt the question of why Java was chosen to begin with? Sure, he says that there are no speed concerns, but does not say why they chose Java as opposed to (choose your favorite language). I mean, there are the typical generic reasons for choosing Java, but I would be interested to know why they particularly chose Java. There are only a handful of large-scale "professional" Java-developed programs, so I think it would be interesting to hear about it. Can anyone shed some insight?