Has traditional antivirus protection become obsolete?
Several indicators suggest just that. Today the most alarming threat is the so-called "Day Zero Attack". This is becoming one of the IT security community's most common buzzword and users are desperately looking for the next generation of antivirus protection. The "Day Zero Attack" is an attack that takes place on the very same day as a vulnerability has been identified. Thus proactive detection is paramount. Proactive detection is the ability to identify and deal with a threat as it arises, rather than wait for the creation and distribution of signature files. By that time it may be too late for many organizations to avoid getting infected.
The average release delay is 6-24 hours from the moment a new virus hits until the users are able to receive the updates. Obviously, a sugnature-based procedure does not provide real-time protection from new and unknown viruses. Most corporations correctly find this to be insufficient, as it leaves their networks vulnerable and unprotected until they can distribute the required detection files to get their virus protection back on track. This can cause tremendous damage and heavy expenses to the corporation.
