Downloading TypeAndRun (http://www.portablefreeware.com/index.p ... n&m=Search) the McAfee antivirus found a Trojan horse ("Generic.dx!wez").

Which file?

That is a heuristic report, prone to false positives.

My Avast found nothing, same as other good AV.

VirusTotal found multiple threats scanning "tar_4b11.zip" file: https://www.virustotal.com/file/56db1e5 ... /analysis/
VirusTotal found 1 threat scanning "TypeAndRun.exe" file: https://www.virustotal.com/file/05e49b9 ... /analysis/

...and other threats while scanning the plugins, especially the hotkey ones (they use hooking to work).

I have no problems with this application at the moment.

_________________
The Venus Project - Imagine Our world with No Laws, No Crime, No Wars, No Prisons

As far as false positives go

what about the recent take-down of TPFC by the hosting service?

Or the false positives that have prompted many to stop compacting exe and dll files as well as libraries.

IG: The PortableApps.Com AppCompactor

AND IN WHAT MIGHT BE A GOOD START FOR A NEW THREAD...................

Almost every day false positives, and the system (reporting) is as broken as can be.

No central point to report false positives, no single reporting method (form), some do not accept, answer, read, or acknowledge receipt of a false positive report.

No Accountability for false reporting, making it the developers responsibility to fix the false reporters mistakes.

We the users should track false reporting, and demand a streamlined method to report false positives. (One website could handle both by creating a rating system, and a form for reporting and forwarding that reporting form to all false reporters.)

Anyone not responding within a reasonable time period to a report of a false positive should be given a very bad rating for failure to respond and for reporting in the first place.

_________________

I totally agree and support your idea Donald. I'd also suggest adding "Potentially Unwanted Programs" to that list since many times the files are quarantined without asking or even explaining what a "PUP" is.

When doing service on some systems I use programs such as keyfinders, IP scanners etc. and when the AV program pops up a warning, I've been asked more than once if I'm putting a virus or malware on the system.

Thanks for posting here rather than in the entry comments (almost nobody reads the fine print above the posting window).


That's true and it also poisons the efforts of small developers -- whether they are giving away their work or making money from it.

Unfortunately, I think we're very much in the minority. Anti-virus companies are going to want to aim for the paranoid rather than avoiding false-positives. Users are the same way. If you've ever had (or think you might have) a virus, you know what an incredible pain in the ass it can be.


An anti-virus company of the sort that reported on PortableFreeware.com is trying to make a name for itself by "discovering" viruses that other companies aren't. These groups are doing everyone a disservice, and an idea like you describe could really help.

_________________
Supporting the Electronic Frontier Foundation | DuckDuckGo user | My GPG key | Projects donated to: VLC, CubicExplorer, Ditto, Greenshot, TrueCrypt

So would anyone like to start a 5013c organization, build a website and try to tame the terrible falsies?

_________________

_________________
bəʊɡɪ bəəs

Hmm I have found most companies are happy to accept reports of false positives

_________________
C a r b o n i z e
System Event Notification Service Not Starting

TPFC was down for the whole of yesterday

While the thread regards the hosting company (I think it was called vp.stink.com) it mentions what I would term a malicious false positive poster.

Also please remember I was mixing freeware and websites (RE: FalsePositives), since TPFC was taken down because it was linked to a software tool hosted on another site.

While I will never give vp.stink.com a dime if I can avoid it, they were not singularly at fault.
their (vp.stink.com) idiotic dumber than a rock policy, and concurrent decision was based on a FALSE POSITIVE.

@ I am Baas
The website you mention does not seek to in any serious effective way curb awful behavior.
While attempting to report false positives is great, reporting on the false positive reporters is at least as important.
The website needs to rate Software, and other Reporting.

A good rating scheme could be 10= few false positive reports quickly addressed, to 1= many positive false reports never addressed.

I would never use a service, or software rated below 8, instead I would pay up to 3 times as much for a good service or product. (8= several false positive reports quickly addressed)

A good companion site could sell services and software via click through from a ratings page.
It could also send notices as too much time passed before a false positive report was addressed.
(In addition to copies of the false positive reports themselves)

Such notices might start to get their attention once ratings started affecting sales.

And the good software companies would then pay for the right to be added to a click through sales link.

_________________

My experience is exactly the opposite.
Unless you call 20% "most".
I've went through a big pain trying to report a false positive to IIRC ~15 companies at some point and since then when users complain, I say - "Complain to your AV company, they have a bug, not me. Or stop using their rubbish.". Trying to work with these suckers is not worth my time.
ADDED:

Cool, but it *really* lacks some compound statistics. Am I supposed to go through the forums and waste 100 hours to get a feeling of who's the worst offender?

_________________

@m^(2)
You are right they are far too fair and forgiving, to the point of "bending over backwards".

Their site effectively "hides" bad behavior rather than highlighting it.

They try very hard to be the mouse that squeaked a tiny tiny bit, but not too loudly.

Being overly friendly to everyone, even people who ignore you doing their job for them, and ignore the work done is just silly.

I am not impressed by websites based on silly philosophies.

_________________

... joins the choir.