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Date: Sun, 7 Jan 2007 19:37:06 -0500
From: "Fred Ma" <FredMa AT ieee DOT org>
To: cygwin AT cygwin DOT com
Subject: Re: Exclude cygwin folder from malware scans?
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Fred Ma wrote:
> After some surfing, I haven't found any evidence of malware targetting
> cygwin.  I'm considering excluding the massive file tree from scans
> (AV, SpyBot, AdAware).  I'd be interested in more experienced opinions
> about this.  Thanks.

Larry Hall:
> Any such reports on this list in the past have later been shown to
> be problems with the software that claims to have found a fault in
> Cygwin.  Such is the reasoning behind the following FAQ:
>
> <http://cygwin.com/faq/faq-nochunks.html#faq.setup.virus>
>
> There has actually been more evidence to support that virus
> scanners, firewalls, and spyware detection programs *cause* Cygwin
> problems by interfering with its proper operation.  You can see such
> reports and the subsequent resolutions (un-install faulty security
> software) in the email archives.

I haven't had any problems in that regard (malware scanners
interfering with cygwin or having false positives), though I don't
doubt that it has happened before.  I was more wondering about the
wisdom of taking the plunge and excluding the cygwin directory tree
from future scans based on the past track record of not being
targeted.

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