Issues, Workarounds & Localization

I may just be a terrible fool here, but I do rather suspect they're probably not, in fact, trying to harm your computer. And don't they already have your credit card info? They certainly have mine, but I'm getting this same message.

Now, before we get to demanding they 'fix this', shall we consider the possibility that it might not be their issue so much as it is ours? We both run AVG. We've both, since the patch, had the same message. It's possible that CCP has been evil and introduced malware into their new patch - but it's not very likely, is it?

More likely is that something about the patched executable is setting off a false positive with AVG. Look at the message: "General behavioral detection." In other words, "not quite sure what we think is wrong, but it looks a bit fishy to us". This happens routinely with any AV software, which is programmed to look for certain behaviours and can't always tell between a malicious process and a harmless one that's changed recently (e.g. something that's recently been patched).

For myself, I'm happier to know that someone else using the same software is getting the same message - but I think the problem is mine, rather than CCP's.

It's not. That's not what I said. AVG, like all antivirus programs, identifies certain known threats from a database. But it's also capable of heuristic analysis: that is, it monitors processes to look for activity it considers suspicious (not 'criminal'). Heuristic analysis isn't scientific, by definition. The program is, in effect, taking a guess, albeit an educated one.

Humans make heuristic assessments of situations all the time: you see someone you think is behaving suspiciously, and you decide to avoid them because you determine they're likely to be a threat. You might be right, or you might be wrong: sometimes, there's a perfectly legitimate explanation for what you, lacking any context, have judged as suspicious.

But it pays to be careful, and that's what all AV software does: it acts as a watcher, to alert you to possible problems. It doesn't guarantee a 100% accurate hit rate - but it's generally better to err on the side of false positives than allow genuinely malicious processes to run.

Whereas I would say it's not 'normal' to immediately assume criminal activity on the part of a well-established games company simply because your AV program flashes you an alert. I didn't say I was to blame. I just said that the likelihood is that this isn't CCP's issue, but rather a conflict between the newly-patched launcher or EVE .exe and our AV software. In other words, no-one's to blame, because - if I'm right - it's just 'one of those things'.

Now tell me honestly: do you really go to the doctor every time you have a tummy ache? I certainly don't. I'll consider the circumstances, and if I've recently eaten something different, or more than normal, then sure, I'll be inclined to put it down to that. But if symptoms persist, as the pill packaging might say, then I'll seek medical advice.

I tell you what: I'll tell AVG that this is a false positive, let the application run as normal, and let you know if I have any problems. How's that?