Dr Solomon?s cries foul over McAfee ?cheat mode? claims

A war of words erupted last week when antivirus companies Dr Solomon?s Group and McAfee entered into a public slanging match.

The row began after McAfee accused European heavyweight Dr Solomon?s of having a cheat mode in its Antivirus Toolkit. It claimed that the mode inflated results when tested by magazine labs or independent test authorities.

The evidence was forwarded by McAfee to the National Computer Security Association and VSUM, both of which verified the existence of such a mode, insisted McAfee.

Peter Watkins, vice president and general manager of McAfee?s security products division, described the alleged cheat mode as ?deplorable?.

?The cheat mode can cause Dr Solomon?s software to identify new viruses in reviews that would not normally be detected in real-world user environments,? he said.

Dr Solomon?s director of product marketing Mike Hill responded: ?Competent reviewers already know how to test antivirus products, and don?t need McAfee?s help.?

Hill attributed Dr Solomon?s detection rate to the use of advanced heuristic analysis, which enables Dr Solomon?s scanners to examine files for virus-like actions and identify 80 per cent of unknown viruses without causing false alarm.

Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Dr Solomon?s, said: ?If McAfee wants to compete in head-to-head reviews, we suggest it increases its own virus detection rate.?