BitDefender update wipes out Windows PCs

Well that's BitDefender off of my list of potential antivirus vendors then. Bit late for a patch when you can't even boot your computer isn't it?

By TimoGunt on 22 Mar 2010

Whoops

"business users weren’t set up for updates at that time"

Oh well that's ok then....only 'Consumer' users were affected by your incompetence. Never have considered BitDefender and on this showing, never will.

By everton2004 on 22 Mar 2010

Why is it when an anti-virus or security company makes ONE mistake that people naively say “I am never going to use them again” or “they are off my list.” Give the companies a chance. If you take that approach and attitude in the IT security or technology industry with regard to buying decisions, you will soon find that you have nobody to buy from!

Companies and people make mistakes; it’s a fact of life.

As for a computer not booting, a regular full image backup of such a PC would safe you in this case. Yes you might lose some new data since that backup but it’s better to have the PC in a usable state. If you create data that you can’t afford to lose, backup it right away to at least one other location (and yes I use this advice all the time).

I just don’t why people make such a big deal about mistakes with updates (such as this one). Yes, they are very bad when they happen but if you are prepared you can quickly recover.

By Jimbo762 on 22 Mar 2010

@Jimbo762

I don't even know where to start... apparently time is of no issue to you and you gladly spend hours or days setting up a new system.
We are not talking about some random app failing with no real consequences. We are talking about an app that works on a relatively low level that you have installed _precisely_ to keep you safe. That "little" mistake probably caused more harm to the affected than viruses ever have.
But, I take it you would be equally relaxed if your backup software showed a similar glitch and wiped out your backups. No harm done eh?

By ripclaw666 on 22 Mar 2010

@Jimbo762

One word: Testing.

They didn't test it. At all. They deserve every bit of flak they get.

By cheysuli on 22 Mar 2010

Keeping update off auto does really help. I manually update - I have the time ;) Also one machine has not been updated since its install and it runs a lot faster than a machine with the updates.

By nicomo on 22 Mar 2010

@ripclaw666

Correct me if I am wrong but where in my comment above did I mention spending hours or days settings up systems? Quite where you find that I have no regard for time, I don’t know.

If you have inferred this from my comment about full system image backups, I think you may have misunderstood what I meant.


By a full image backup I meant making an image of a system periodically so that if the hard disk of the system is corrupted or fails, you can replace the hard disk (if applicable), start the PC using a boot disk and restore the PC using the backup image. The PC will be usable in roughly 30 minutes to 1 hour or less (depending on much data you have). I would say that’s fast and certainly fast than re-installing Windows and installing and configuring all of your software again.
I am referring to the use of backup software in a home small office environment. If you were referring to the backing up of business data, then incremental rather than full image backups would be used (as well as de-duplication). Also much more heavyweight and industry proven software would be used such CA ARCserve or Symantec Backup Exec.

As for your remark about the reliability of my backup software, it is from a very well know vendor and has reviewed by PC Pro. I tested the backup software after receiving it by performing a backup and then a full restore using the disaster recovery method, everything worked (and continues to work) fine. In addition, every backup I make is verified by the software for consistency after creation. I also manually check I can access the contents of the backup myself (as per the company’s recommendations and best practice). Also I make manual file backups if the data is very important (as mentioned in my last comment).

The backups don’t waste any of my time since I am not using the machines at the time and manually checking the images after creation takes on seconds. Not too much to ask for peace of mind.

If my backup software ever develops a software bug, I would know very quickly and would gladly work with the company to resolve it. I wouldn’t think any less of them for it. Remember software is written by humans and humans aren’t perfect so neither is any software. I think it is a miracle that software today is as reliable as it is. Software from 10 or even 3 to 5 years ago wasn’t as reliable as today’s.

Yes, I am relaxed because I know my software works since I have fully tested it. I have had 2 hard disks fail in 3 years (both disks were between 4 to 5 years old) and I never lost a single useful file. My methods and my software work so excuse me if I am a little smug. So let’s agree to disagree :)

@cheysuli

I agree a little testing can go a long way. If the updates are released daily then quite thorough automated testing could be done. If they updates are every 8 hours, every hour or even every 5 to 15 minutes (yes every 5 to 15 minute updates do exist) testing won’t be as thorough but automated tests would be still be performed.

After reading a statement on BitDefender’s website, it appears this was a false positive. False positives happen in security software all the time, its routine and almost impossible to avoid them. I just don’t understand why such things have to be so sensationalised.

Sorry for the long comment (which will be my last for this particular article).

P.S. I DO NOT work for BitDefender.

By Jimbo762 on 22 Mar 2010

On behalf of BitDefender, we are very sorry for the problems that our update may have caused. We were able to revert the bad update quickly and only those who performed the update in that short window were affected. Our main purpose now is to implement solutions for the various customer configurations that are brought to our attention.
Home users that have been affected by this situation-including those who can not boot will find the solution below, so we strongly advise them to follow the steps that are described in this article:

www.bitdefender.com/site/KnowledgeBase/consumer/#6
38

BitDefender Business Client users will find solutions here:

www.bitdefender.com/site/KnowledgeBase/consumer/#6
43

BitDefender Security for File Servers users will find solutions here:

www.bitdefender.com/site/KnowledgeBase/consumer/#6
42

For those who are not able to find a solution via the support articles, we are advising them to contact our support team directly via email, chat, phone or forum at:

www.bitdefender.com/site/Main/contactEmail/ for home users
BitDefender is a trusted security software provider for nearly 10 years. Over these years we have only provide the most secured solutions in the market and we want to assure everyone that this is an isolated case.
Thank you very much for your understanding and for your support!

By RalucaD on 22 Mar 2010

We appologise for any issues that have been caused, if anyone has any questions or outstanding issues please call our UK office on 0845 1305096 and ask for support
[21:31:52] Nicholas Billington: Best Regards
[21:31:55] Nicholas Billington: NBick Billington
[21:32:02] Nicholas Billington: MD BitDefender UK

By BitDefender_UK on 22 Mar 2010

We appologise for any issues that have been caused, if anyone has any questions or outstanding issues please call our UK office on 0845 1305096 and ask for support
[21:31:52] Nicholas Billington: Best Regards
[21:31:55] Nicholas Billington: NBick Billington
[21:32:02] Nicholas Billington: MD BitDefender UK

By BitDefender_UK on 22 Mar 2010