Why antivirus programs have become the problem, not the solution

Staggeringly poor programming and security practices have made antivirus programs a gaping security hole in millions of computers.

Security software necessarily requires high access privileges to operate effectively, though when it is itself insecure or otherwise malfunctioning, it becomes a much higher liability due to the extent to which it has control over the system. These software issues, combined with logistical and political problems in the antivirus industry itself, are making users less secure.

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