VirusTotal :: The False Positive
A big problem for software developers these past years is referred to as False Positives. False positives create many issues and not just for software developers, but also for users of software accused as such. There have even been lawsuits against Virus Protection companies based on false positives, costing companies large dollars and harm to their reputations. It's a serious issue and so far, virus protection companies have nothing in place for developers to easily take care of the problem. What they do have is oftentimes hard to find and even requires that you install the software, which of course users of VirusTotal aren't apt to do.
Even VirusTotal, the most popular virus go-to on the Internet, knows this is a problem. VirusTotal could if they wished, create a system from their services to easily report false positives. They can EVEN submit the binaries along with the report, as they already have them. RCMedia, and the developers behind VisualNeo for Windows would like them to.
The following is a direct request, to the folks behind VirusTotal to help us affected developers, correct the problem that their services inadvertently created. We as developers, understand the concept of false positives, but our customers and end users do NOT.
Since you guys are processing with 70 virus detection engines, you already have the scan results AND the binary. It would be a simple matter of insisting that those you represent, accept false positive reports from it's professional users, if even you require that developers create an account with you first, to avoid non legitimate claims.
What you guys are doing is great, but perhaps VirusTotal might consider what false positives do to independent developers who are legitimately trying to support their families. I read on your site that you guys started out as six engineers (a small team), so I would expect that you understand the importance of what this means to the small business or independent operator. And so, would you guys consider using your successful standing in this marketplace to offer a fair way for developers to defend themselves?
VisualNeo for Windows is a "Rapid Application Designer" or RAD for the Windows Operating system. This software has existed for more than 20 years by the name of NeoBook but has recently changed ownership. There are thousands of programs in the shareware and freeware arenas that were coded with this platform. I have recently run a test on a completely blank executable created by this platform; Nothing more than a full screen black background. No script, no images, absolutely nothing.
After searching Google for a streamlined method of reporting false positives to these companies, I concluded that one doesn't exist. What better company / service on line for this than VirusTotal? Every report of something bad with our releases (and I hear it's the same with most devs) comes from VirusTotal. A Google search for this problem WILL show that there are a whole lot of folks from both sides of the isle (devs and end users) who are upset with the abundance of false positives, and an easy way to report them for developers would go a long way in correcting the problem.
Thank you in advance, for your consideration on this topic.
Signed
The Entire Dev Community
Feel free to shoot me a message. And thanks!