Experts' fear over computer virus
Computer technicians are fighting a losing battle against out-of-control systems viruses, it was claimed on Wednesday.
The latest research suggests the way viruses are being fought is fundamentally flawed, New Scientist magazine says.
The viruses are spreading at a quicker rate than the speed at which anti-virus patches can be distributed, according to experts at Hewlett-Packard in Bristol.
By the time anti-virus software catches up, the damage has already been done, they say.
Most anti-virus software works by identifying unique characteristics or patterns in the computer code that makes up a virus.
Once identified, this "signature" is distributed to everyone who has bought the anti-virus software.
However, this strategy means one needs to know what the virus looks like before taking action against it.
The new research is the first to evaluate how effective this approach is.