Sunday, April 23, 2006

what is snake oil?

snake oil is a derogatory term used to imply that something is fraudulently ineffective... in the malware domain, any product, feature, service, or advice that gives the user a false sense of security is snake oil...

sometimes snake oil is easy to spot, for example when an anti-virus product claims to detect all known and unknown viruses past, present, and future - or when a product claims 100% protection... sometimes it's a little less clear, like notices that "this message is certified virus free"... and sometimes it's downright murky, heaped with misconducted tests, FUD, and hyperbole...

whatever the form, the peddling of snake oil is lowest and most self-serving form of so-called aid that a person or organization can give, and it should never be tolerated under any circumstances (even when it's free)...

back to index

0 comments: