BitDefender update wipes Windows 64-bit

[DainBramaged]

A faulty update for BitDefender anti-virus software has caused chaos for many 64-bit Windows users.

Instead of protecting systems from new malware threats, the update – issued earlier this week – decided to detect a number of essential Windows files as a Trojan virus (trojan.fakealert.5) and wipe them in the process.

This meant that some executable files were wiped, forcing some unlucky users to do a full re-install.

BitDefender has issued an apology over the gaffe, saying on its blog: "We understand your disappointment, we have solved the problem for many of our users already and we are continuing to work relentlessly to rectify the problem for all users still affected."

But, it seems that it is not just BitDefender users that are affected. TechRadar was contacted by an owner of BullGuard anti-virus software (a UK-based company) which utilises BitDefender and it seems there are big problems for its users too.

Its forums are ablaze with angry comments from those affected by the update, who feel the company isn't doing enough to sort the problem out.

http://www.techradar.com/news/computing/bitdefender-update-wipes-microsoft-s-64-bit-windows-679013

[Double T]

1. Scratch BitDefender off the consideration list.

How do the corporate idiots allow stuff like this to happen. Running Ad-Aware Plus with great results and no screw ups.

[Earth Bound Misfit]

2. Ouch. That'll leave a mark.

BitDefender acknowledged the gaffe and posted instructions for those affected:
http://www.bitdefender.com/site/KnowledgeBase/consumer/#638

Topic at their forum is currently 83 pages:
http://forum.bitdefender.com/index.php?s=8c2eaa58553dd576fb83e8fa2d8e0e5a&showtopic=18759


I use Avast 5, Malwarebytes, SUPERAntiSpyware, SpywareBlaster, CCleaner--all FREE versions-- & I'm good to go.

[DainBramaged]

3. The best part is them offering a rescue CD, but what if you only had ONE computer?

This little gaffe is going to leave burn marks on their reputation for years.

[hobbit709]

8. The main reason I use Acronis True Image

I make an image of each system I use after it is setup and configured. I can restore from image and be back up and running in 15 minutes max. I also keep no data files whatsoever on the C drive.

[Urban Prairie]

10. +1

Only the Windows OS itself in C, everything else goes into other drives and partitions.

[MajorChode]

14. Macrium Reflect is free and works just as well, if not better

I like Acronis, which is free if you have a WD hard drive, but I back up 7 computers at my house so I needed something that would work with all of them. Macrium Reflect does the trick and it's quite popular because it works so well and you can't beat the price.

[Xipe Totec]

6. With five separate products that can fail independently,

you raise your chances five-fold that at least one of them will fail in a similar way.

[Earth Bound Misfit]

7. I like my chances.

Avast provides adequate real-time AV protection, IMO. I do quick scans mid-week, full scans weekly and a monthly boot-scan, use MBAM & SASW (alternately) to run bi-weekly scans "just in case", Spywareblaster runs silently in the background & I use CCleaner (or ATF Cleaner) to clear out cache, manage cookies, etc. I also like CC's "tools" tab, but steer clear of the registry cleaning function.

[Xipe Totec]

9. In this case there was no external threat

The AV protection software got confused and began destroying the very system it was designed to protect.

It acts very much like an autoimmune disorder in living organism, where the body starts attacking itself.

[Earth Bound Misfit]

11. BD borked the update, but as is usually the case Human Error 1.0

appears to have compounded the problem...

There is a "restore" option in the quarantine tab. You can restore all the false positive viruses that way (unless you set the default behavior to auto-delete... then I think you're out of luck).

The restore function works fine for me, although I have to disable the real time virus scanner for the files not to be re-detected quickly.

ETA link (post #43): http://forum.bitdefender.com/index.php?showtopic=18759&st=40

[MrModerate]

4. "We understand your disappointment . . .?"

How about "OH PLEASE FORGIVE ME NOW I'LL GO STAND IN FRONT OF A BUS."

[Xipe Totec]

5. Autoimmune disease hits cyberspace nt

[Webster Green]

12. I have heard that Windows Security Essentials is very good.

I have it running on several systems, and I've had no virus or malware problems in a long time.

I also have it running alongside AVG free, and see no conflicts with the two running together.

Comments or suggestions?

[MajorChode]

16. That's what I use on all 7 of my computers

I haven't had any problems. I was using McAfee, which was provided free to me from work to install on my home computers, but it was a resource hog. I like Security Essentials a lot better.

[DavidDvorkin]

17. I recently uninstalled AVG on all our machines and installed Microsoft Security Essentials instead

The Internet access problems I'd been having went away once I did that. (The problems had been intermittent until the most recent AVG update, at which point all of the machines couldn't connect.)

[DCKit]

13. Maybe it's more about Widoze quality than Bit Defender's capabilities.

Just sayin'.

I use Linux.

[DavidDvorkin]

18. It's inevitable that someone would say that

But I think this is a problem with the third-party software, not Windows.

[slackmaster]

15. I'll be sure not to put that on the production database servers I run

:argh:

[roseBudd]

19. I have 64 bit, but I use free AVG, so hopefully I won't get zonked

[jmowreader]

20. Here is the real explanation from the BitDefender Corporation

"A number of our users have informed us the latest BitDefender update classifies 39 critical Windows system files as trojans and removes them from the computer, forcing the user to perform a complete Windows reinstall.

"We tested the 39 files BitDefender removes from your computer. They really are trojans."

[InkAddict]

21. OMG, I dodged the assasin's bullet...by hours

The assasin's software hadn't been working correctly since I downloaded Firefox...seems the anti-phishing portion of the program was incompatible - and I had to scan manually - The last few times it found viruses(trojans) in an executable voice program used w/virtual life gaming and screwed up some file needed to open OpenOffice. After futzing around w/it the past few weeks, I decided to go elsewhere for my anti-virus services....Whew!