Threat

Today, I turned on my computer, and AVG was like,
HOLY CRAP. YOU HAVE A VIRUS. LET US TAKE CARE OF THE THREAT.
Or, you know, ignore it and suffer eternal doom. lol.

So, I let it do...whatever AVG really does..., and *surprise* AVG is once again the hero of the day.

It seems that every so often, the program has to act like it's doing something fantastic to prove its merit and worth. It feels the need to remind me that viruses are still a problem even though I haven't changed my surfing habits. But it's okay - because the glorious and most holy AVG is there to protect my life and soul from such threats!

Skeptical owl is skeptical.

I just find it hard to believe that the losers that sat in their moms' basements making the viruses of the early 2000s still get a thrill out of it. I feel like these kinds of viruses are as old and outdated as Ask Jeeves and AOL. The threats should be gone by now because the lols have certainly worn off, and I can't think of a reason why someone would intentionally create a virus just out of sheer boredom. Even when they do, these kids are discovered and then hired to be security consultants to make the world a better place.
True story.

(Did you see the one guy from Georgia Southern? We have a top-notch IT program.)

Sidebar: if you're still using AOL, you probably deserve to have viruses.

With viruses came the creation of anti-virus software, which, in my opinion, kind of acts like a virus itself. You install it, and it does creepy things in the background saying it's "running a scan" when I just want it to shut the heck up. Or it wants me to install "updates" for better protection when it just makes my computer run slower. 

This leads me to believe the anti-virus software is just "protecting" me from threats that the company it produces itself. This is why nothing ever falls through the cracks with AVG. It somehow magically knows how to handle the virus all the time! What a marvelous coincidence!

The business model is so clear to me now. 

Instead of creating viruses to illegally get people's financial information and steal money, they create viruses and simultaneously sell software to protect people from the viruses. They then legally make the money by selling "upgrades" for "better protection", and they keep their reputation legit by offering a free version so that everyone can see how great thou art. 

Therefore they bolster their image of being rated the #1 source of anti-virus software and pretty much have a cash cow built on the paranoia and naivety of people who feel the need to pay to upgrade annually when all they do is read the news and check the weather (AOL users). 

It seems like a perfect business opportunity considering it takes advantage of a bunch of people who don't know anything. The alternative is that AVG is actually protecting computers from actual outside threats. And that just makes me wonder who is really in the business of making malicious code anymore. 

To quote a certain Jack Sparrow: "Who makes all these?"

(Will Turner: I do! And I practice with them three hours a day!)

In this case, AVG is Will Turner. He seems like a brave hero, but he's really just a pirate who's completely obsessed with gold.

AVG can't grow a goatee like that,

TWS