Rob Horgan
A COMPUTER specialist from Velez-Malaga has been named the best in the world at stopping virtual hackers.
Voted on by more than 200 online security specialists from around the world, Bernardo Quintero was named the cream of the crop when it comes to preventing online crime.
The manager of Virustotal, part of Google, Quintero said it was an ‘honour’ to receive the ‘MVP award’ at an IT security conference held in Torre del Mar.
“It is a dream come true,” he said. “It is remarkable what I have been able to achieve since Google acquired my company two years ago.
“It is a very special award to receive because it comes from global experts within the industry.
“To be honest, I was not expecting it, I am humbled because it was something I hadn’t even imagined.”
Quintero gave a lecture on the dangers of external attacks and virtual property theft at the conference.
He also talked up Spain’s ability to tackle virtual crime, claiming they are more ‘flexible’ and ‘able to improvise’ than other nations.
Of course, what Mr Quintero is not telling us is that the hackers have actually won. Anti-virus firms are always playing either catch-up or whack-a-mole with malware writers, who can release new viruses daily to take advantage of the ever increasing number of new vulnerabilities in today’s software. A quick scan over the cyber-security headlines of 2014 shows that just about every household name (even those with massive IT budgets) has been hacked and massive data breaches have occurred. How Spain are more “flexible” than other nations in dealing with cybercrime is a most bizarre and inaccurate claim from Mr Quintero.
fred you really are a very sick person
And, Newport, you are a thoroughly out-of-touch and ignorant individual.
How can you fix things until you know they’re broke Fred? Would you expect a car owner to have his car checked every day to see if it has a problem? I doubt it. The Anti Virus & Anti Spam & Anti Malware companies do an excellent job IMHO by scanning computers for likely bad entries in much the same way as a blood text would give a medic so he could read the results & take appropriate action. The individuals who create all there nasties are highly skilled & often have seriously bad intention. It’s people like the one under discussion that minimise the chances of being contaminated by these individual/companies & even governments that have ill intentions. Good luck & Congratulations to Bernardo Quintero
@David, did I say the malware companies don’t do an excellent job? Malware and anti-virus scanners do stop many drive-by attacks and are a definite must-have on any computer. However, in the larger scheme of things, malware usage is increasing and more and more companies are being hacked and having their information leaked and abused, despite the existence of anti-malware/virus software. That was my point.
If large companies with large IT budgets are having their security breached, what chance do you think an average user has? Another point you miss is that whilst your personal computer might have malware protection, your data which is out there, on the Internet, is still vulnerable. Malware scanners are not a panacea; it is malware scanning companies that are playing catch-up, not the malware writers. Perhaps you can explain why Spain is more “flexible” in dealing with malware and cybercrime than other nations?
@ David, I forgot to add a link for you so you can learn more about the real state of affairs, and why AV software is largely ineffective. “https://www.google.co.uk/?gws_rd=ssl#q=are+the+hackers+winning”
Fred. I’m well aware of virtually countless stories of individuals & companies & indeed governments being hacked one way or another by criminals, mischieves people or even governments but it is people like this chap under discussion that minimise the problem for us all. I don’t think they can stop it……to me that seems an impossibility so we all need the services of honest specialists like him to protect us as much as possible. We live in a dirty world & there’s not much we can do about it….just get used to it but have some decent protection. The problem is really who provides the best?
@David, I’m not at all sure if the issue is being minimised. For starters, anti-virus software and anti-malware software does not stop software vulnerabilities and other bugs that exist in existing software. I recall 2 or 3 of the largest vulnerabilities of all time were found in 2014 alone, and some had existed for decades. There are many ways of protecting yourself online, but it is often complex for the average user, or interferes with user-experience too much. Sadly, at the moment, the hackers are winning the cybercrime war, and any security specialist (if they are honest) would tell you the same.
If Mr Quintero is reading perhaps he could give us his take on things.
I believe you’re right about that. Of course a good many legitimate anti-whatever companies do very well out of it so just how it’ll end is anyone’s guess.
That’s a very good point David, and in fact in has been suggested quite a few times that antivirus/malware firms actually create malware threats to ensure their products are kept in demand. It seems unlikely on the face of it, but these days anything goes of course, and it would not surprise me in the least should that ever be uncovered. After all, fear sells.
Congratulations to Bernardo Quintero. A tremendous achievement in a competitive and complex field.
Certainly is a great achievement, but is sadly not stopping the rise of cybercrime, as malware is not the only vector here. Phishing and hacking and other software vulnerabilities are the main threats.