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The following questions should be considered when selecting a scanner for
identification:
- How many viruses does it detect? How many different viruses are
identified? The former asks how many different viruses are detected, whereas the
latter asks how many different names are assigned to these different viruses.
If a scanner is using signature strings, signatures can appear in variants.
These questions will give some understanding regarding the level of
precision provided by a particular tool.
- What names are used by the identification tool?
Many viruses have numerous ``aliases,'' so different scanners
will produce different names for the same infection.
This is especially true with IBM PC viruses. The identification
feature of the scanner is only useful if
the scanner comes with a virus catalog or uses the same nameset
as an available catalog.
Precise identification
tools will be more useful when they become
available, although the same limitations regarding a virus information
catalog will still apply.