June 2006
BitDefender Alerts HP of Infected Drivers
The Funlove virus was detected in a device driver being distributed to HP customers from the HP FTP servers. The very same virus first surfaced on the HP (then Hewlett-Packard) servers in 2000.
BitDefender virus researchers made the discovery around 3 PM GMT on May 31st and confirmed it an hour later. The affected company was notified at that time and an offer for support was made.
The virus was detected due to the unique BitDefender archive scanning technology which supports scanning in driver installation kits, a feature absent from many other vendors' products. BitDefender recommends that software providers always include a capable antivirus scanner in their release validation process.
“We notified HP of the issue yesterday and as of 9:00 a.m. GMT today, the offending kit had been removed from HP’s website,” declared BitDefender CTO Bogdan Dumitru. “This incident highlights the importance of checking outgoing file traffic in a corporate environment and is proof of the uncanny survivability of file infectors in general.”
The virus in question was first detected by BitDefender in the year 2000 and a signature update had been released to BitDefender clients at that time. BitDefender clients have been protected against it ever since. A removal tool is freely available from the BitDefender website for everyone else.
A full description of the virus is available here.
HP has issued no comments on the incident to date.
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About Bitdefender®
Bitdefender is the creator of one of the world's fastest and most effective lines of internationally certified internet security software.Since 2001, the company has been an industry pioneer, introducing and developing award-winning protection. Today, Bitdefender technology secures the digital experience of around 400 million home and corporate users across the globe.
Recently, the company has won a range of key independent recommendations in the US, UK and across Europe, including ConsumerSearch, Which?, Stiftung Warentest and Taenk. Bitdefender antivirus technology has also finished top in leading industry tests from both AV Test and AV-Comparatives. More information about Bitdefender's antivirus products is available from the company's security solutions press room. Additionally, Bitdefender publishes Malware City providing the latest updates on security threats and helping users stay informed in the everyday battle against malware.