Does SpecEmu have malware?

[Leandro Jardim]

I have downloaded SpecEmu from http://zx-pk.ru/showthread.php?t=12617&page=5 , but AVG-free says its general behaviour is "suspicious", and for my surprise, if I look for "specemu malware" on google, I get a amazing VirusTotal detection with 34 viruses on a single specemu executable!

What do you guys have to say about that, do you use this emulator everyday, do you have any issues with this emulator? I may look like an "idiot" asking this, but I think strange that on only 500 KB there is space for 34 viruses plus the emulator...

[zipper]

Downloaded http://www.reduksy.pl/pl/390/134/390...1314f8496a1a2e
F-Secure had nothing to complain.

[Retro-Nerd]

Most virus scanner fail at some point with .exe files. False positive happens too often, i wouldn't care too much.

[Leandro Jardim]

Here is VirusTotal with the page.

https://www.virustotal.com/latest-re...1DA48143C932F9

The executable analysed by VirusTotal is different, but I tried with mine (not zippers one) and it reported at least one malware.

[Leandro Jardim]

Originally Posted by zipper

Downloaded http://www.reduksy.pl/pl/390/134/390...1314f8496a1a2e
F-Secure had nothing to complain.

Thanks zipper! I tried it, and AVG-free also dont complain.

[prowler]

VirusTotal gives reliable indications in my experience.

[Dunny]

SpecEMU uses certain sequences of x86 code which resembles that used by popular viruses. It's not a virus, I know the author (he lives up the street from me).

D.

[Leandro Jardim]

Ah, thats explained now.

[Supamax]

Originally Posted by Dunny

SpecEMU uses certain sequences of x86 code which resembles that used by popular viruses. It's not a virus, I know the author (he lives up the street from me).

D.

I had a similar problem with a GUI program (by Luigi Di Fraia) related to C64 tape imaging.
Problem is: as soon as I download it, Avast keeps deleting it .
Even if I signal it to Avast's team as false positive, I'll have to wait till they'll change the virus definitions file...

[jbenam]

Originally Posted by Supamax

I had a similar problem with a GUI program (by Luigi Di Fraia) related to C64 tape imaging.
Problem is: as soon as I download it, Avast keeps deleting it .
Even if I signal it to Avast's team as false positive, I'll have to wait till they'll change the virus definitions file...

The answer to that is easy, start using a decent AV

http://www.av-comparatives.org/wp-co..._201409_en.pdf

Look at those False Positives results, it's insane!

Avast is crap and you and everyone you know should stop using it immediately

[ptyerman]

Originally Posted by Supamax

I had a similar problem with a GUI program (by Luigi Di Fraia) related to C64 tape imaging.
Problem is: as soon as I download it, Avast keeps deleting it .
Even if I signal it to Avast's team as false positive, I'll have to wait till they'll change the virus definitions file...

Just add it to Avasts exclusion list, it will allow it then.
There was a problem last year with Steam, Avast decided it was a virus and deleted the executable whenever Steam updated, the fix was to add it to the exclusion list until Avast fixed it.

[Minuous]

Originally Posted by Supamax

I had a similar problem with a GUI program (by Luigi Di Fraia) related to C64 tape imaging.
Problem is: as soon as I download it, Avast keeps deleting it .
Even if I signal it to Avast's team as false positive, I'll have to wait till they'll change the virus definitions file...

Sounds like it's Avast that needs to be deleted. No decent viruschecker should delete your files without asking first.

[ptyerman]

Nothing wrong with Avast, one of the best there is. Better to have false positives and suspicious files than a virus getting through and wreaking havoc. Been using Avast for about 7 years and not had a virus once.

[Retro-Nerd]

I don't use such scanner besides the standard MSE. Never had a single virus/trojaner issue in the last 5 years. Keep your OS and software up to date and use some addons for your browser.

[jbenam]

Originally Posted by ptyerman

Nothing wrong with Avast, one of the best there is. Better to have false positives and suspicious files than a virus getting through and wreaking havoc. Been using Avast for about 7 years and not had a virus once.

I've had to reformat so many PeeCees with Avast on it that it's not even funny. They were so radically filled with virii that the only way out (and quickest one) was a re-format.

The thing is, a savvy user won't ever get a virus, even if it doesn't have anything at all on their system! I personally don't use an antivirus for months to an end and even when I install one for testing and do a full-scan nothing ever pops out.

The only way to really measure how effective an antivirus really is is to put it on your parents and family computers. If they start coming back after a few months, you know that the antivirus isn't a good one

Avira has been good enough for the moment...

[ptyerman]

No anti-virus program is going to protect against stupidity anyway. If someone is clicking dodgy email links and accessing stuff they shouldn't, their PC is going to be infected with something in no time at all, regardless of which anti-virus there is installed. That is just semantics!

[Supamax]

Originally Posted by jbenam

The answer to that is easy, start using a decent AV

(however, I used it for years and never got infected, so I suppose it's good...)

Originally Posted by ptyerman

Just add it to Avasts exclusion list, it will allow it then.
There was a problem last year with Steam, Avast decided it was a virus and deleted the executable whenever Steam updated, the fix was to add it to the exclusion list until Avast fixed it.

I never used the exclusion list... good to know!

By the way, some days ago I applied a major upgrade to Windows 8.1 and it screwed up my pc. After searching on the Web I found that the culprit is Avast. However I would like to ask Microsoft: with all the tests you did before releasing the November big update (700+ MB), didn't anyone find the Avast-Win8.1 incompatibility?? Or at least make an alert: if Avast is found on the system, open a window and alert the user. Damn...

EDIT:
A friend of mine keeps telling me that Avast (or any other antivirus program) is not necessary anymore with Windows 8.1, since it has the built-in Windows Defender.
Is this completely true? Is Windows Defender as good as other antivirus suites?

[Supamax]

Originally Posted by ptyerman

Been using Avast for about 7 years and not had a virus once.

Same for me...

Originally Posted by Retro-Nerd

I don't use such scanner besides the standard MSE.

MSE = Microsoft S... E... ?

[Retro-Nerd]

Microsoft Security Essentials. It's not better or worse than other scanner. At least not that many false positives.

[Minuous]

Originally Posted by ptyerman

Nothing wrong with Avast, one of the best there is. Better to have false positives and suspicious files than a virus getting through and wreaking havoc. Been using Avast for about 7 years and not had a virus once.

The main point is that even in the case of a definite virus, it should ask what to do, not just delete files without asking. (Secondarily, it shouldn't flag some program as a virus just because of "certain sequences of x86 code which resembles that used by popular viruses".) No virus checker on the Amiga that I have ever used or heard of does this.