Ride the Lightning

Symantec Says Antivirus is Dead

May 7, 2014

Symantec invented antivirus software in the 1980s. But now, as related in a Wall Street Journal article, Brian Dye, Symantec's senior vice president for information security, has declared that antivirus "is dead." He is leading a reinvention effort at Symantec that reflects a broader shift in the $70 billion a year cybersecurity industry.

While they are still fighting to keep the bad guys out, there is an increasing assumption that a certain percentage of them will get in. Dye estimates that antivirus now catches just 45% of cyberattacks. So the new objective is to spot them and minimize the damage. The trend is to develop technology that scans for malicious-looking computer code that made it past the first line of defense

Symantec is creating its own response team (like that of industry leader Mandiant) to help hacked businesses. Symantec is also developing technology to look for more-advanced malicious software inside a network – much like its rivals. While antivirus is still needed, the new trend is "detect and respond."

Other players in this space have said that Symantec has been out of the "thought-leader" group of this industry for some time. Looks like it wants to rejoin the club.

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