System, method and computer program product for conditionally updating a security program

A computer program product for updating security software, comprising:

• computer code for receiving a parameter associated with a security update file;
• and
• computer code for conditionally updating a security program with the security update file based oil the parameter;
• wherein the parameter identifies a difference between the security update file and a previous security update file;
• wherein the security program is conditionally updated with the security update file based on a test involving the parameter;
• wherein the parameter represents at least one of a risk and a prevalency associated with a virus that the security update file is capable of detecting;
• wherein an array of parameters is received and summed, and the security program is conditionally updated with the security update file based on the summed parameters;
• the parameters including a number of new mass-mailing viruses, a severity of added field viruses, a number of new field false alarms, a severity of the false alarms, a number of new name changes in the update, a number of new entries in the update, a number of crash reports for the update, and a performance degradation in the update.

A system for updating security software, comprising:

• logic for receiving a parameter associated with a security update file;
• and
• logic for conditionally updating a security program with the security update file based on the parameter;
• wherein the parameter identifies a difference between the security update file and a previous security update file;
• wherein the security program is conditionally updated with the security update file based on a test involving the parameter;
• wherein the parameter represents at least one of a risk and a prevalency associated with a virus that the security update file is capable of detecting;
• wherein an array of parameters is received and summed, and the security program is conditionally updated with the security update file based on the summed parameters;
• the parameters including a number of new mass-mailing viruses, a severity of added field viruses, a number of new field false alarms, a severity of the false alarms, a number of new name changes in the update, a number of new entries in the update, a number of crash reports for the update, and a performance degradation in the update.

A data structure stored in memory capable of being used for updating security software, comprising:

• a parameter object associated with a security update file;
• wherein a security program is conditionally updated with the security update file based on the parameter object, and the parameter object identifies a difference between the security update file and a previous security update file;
• wherein the security program is conditionally updated with the security update file based on a test involving the parameter object;
• wherein an array of parameter objects is received and summed, and the security program is conditionally updated with the security update file based on the summed parameter objects;
• the parameter objects being selected from the group consisting of a number of new mass-mailing viruses, a severity of added field viruses, a number of new field false alarms, a severity of the false alarms, a number of new name changes in the update, a number of new entries in the update, a number of crash reports for the update, and a performance degradation in the update.

A method for updating security software utilizing a server, comprising:

• assigning a parameter to a security update file;
• and
• providing access to the parameter;
• wherein a security program is conditionally updated with the security update file based on the parameter, and the parameter identifies a difference between the security update file and a previous security update file;
• wherein the security program is conditionally updated with the security update file based on a test involving the parameter;
• wherein the parameter represents at least one of a risk and a prevalency associated with a virus that the security update file is capable of detecting;
• wherein an array of parameters is received and summed, and the security program is conditionally updated with the security update file based on the summed parameters;
• the parameters including a number of new mass-mailing viruses, a severity of added field viruses, a number of new field false alarms, a severity of the false alarms, a number of new name changes in the update, a number of new entries in the update, a number of crash reports for the update, and a performance degradation in the update.

A method for updating security software, comprising:

• downloading parameters representing at least one aspect of one or more records of a security update file, wherein at least one of the parameters identifies a difference between one or more records of the security update file and the corresponding one or more records of a previous security update file with respect to the at least one aspect;
• summing the parameters;
• and
• conditionally updating a security program with the one or more records of the security update file based on the sum of parameters;
• wherein the security program is conditionally updated with the security update file based on a test involving the sum;
• wherein the sum represents a risk and a prevalency associated with a virus that the security update file is capable of detecting;
• the parameters including a number of new mass-mailing viruses, a severity of added field viruses, a number of new field false alarms, a severity of the false alarms, a number of new name changes in the update, a number of new entries in the update, a number of crash reports for the update, and a performance degradation in the update.

A method for updating security software, comprising:

• clearing a sum;
• determining whether parameters are available each representing at least one aspect of one or more records of a virus signature update file, wherein the parameters identify a difference between one or more records of the virus signature update file and the corresponding one or more records of a previous virus signature update file with respect to the at least one aspect;
• downloading the parameters if the parameters are determined to be available;
• summing the parameters;
• identifying an anti-virus security program associated with the downloaded parameters;
• looking up a threshold corresponding with the anti-virus security program associated with the downloaded parameters;
• and
• for each of the records of the virus signature update file,
• performing a test involving the summed parameters associated with the current record and the threshold,
• if the test is passed,
• downloading the virus signature update file,
• installing the virus signature update file in the anti-virus security
• program, and
• clearing the sum;
• wherein the parameter represents at least one of a risk and a prevalency associated with a virus that the security update file is capable of detecting;
• the parameters including a number of new mass-mailing viruses, a severity of added field viruses, a number of new field false alarms, a severity of the false alarms, a number of new name changes in the update, a number of new entries in the update, a number of crash reports for the update, and a performance degradation in the update.