LG's Vaccine USB flash drive keeps your machine disinfected

We've already taught you to not use syringes USB flash drives that you find on the street, but we know all sorts of unwanted invaders can meander on into your hard drive when you're not looking. Enter LG's aptly-named Vaccine USB flash drive, which comes pre-loaded with anti-virus / malware protection software and provides "real-time system monitoring and hardware scans." Aside from making sure your rig doesn't catch any bugs going around, it also updates itself when plugged in to an internet-connected PC. Regrettably, we've no idea how much these things will cost (nor if Medicare will cover), but they will be offered up in sizes ranging from 512MB to 8GB.

[Via EverythingUSB, image courtesy of Pocket-Lint]

[Carbonize @ Dec 21st 2007 4:28AM]

Or just make sure you have a good anti virus installed and running. And by good I don't mean Norton or McAfee. I mean Kaspersky or NOD32.

And carry a copy of ClamAV portable on your USB stick. You can get it from http://portableapps.com

[BobTurbo @ Dec 21st 2007 5:26AM]

By good you mean your personal favourite.

[Carbonize @ Dec 21st 2007 5:40AM]

No by good I mean ones that score high marks in tests on a regular basis and are not bloated.

I personally use AntiVir.

[BobTurbo @ Dec 21st 2007 5:46AM]

Norton regularly scores high on tests (av-comparatives on-demand) and according to http://www.cnet.com.au/software/security/0,239029558,339283640,00.htm beats kaspersky in speed tests aside from boot-up which is not a major concern I would think. Nod32 was not tested...

So....

But personally I think antivirus is useless garbage.

[Carbonize @ Dec 21st 2007 5:58AM]

Try looking at real tests such as http://www.av-comparatives.org and http://virusbtn.com where they are less concerned with how fast the program starts and more with how many viruses it actually stops.

[Prey521 @ Dec 21st 2007 5:59AM]

This man speakeths the truth! Nod32 is the shizzle! Norton or Mcrapee aren't even in the same league.

[BobTurbo @ Dec 21st 2007 6:02AM]

I am pretty sure I just said that it scores high on av-comparatives on-demand test...

[thethirdmoose @ Dec 21st 2007 8:16AM]

Or just use a mac. Or just use linux. Or just use BSD. Or just use Amiga OS. Or just use BeOS.
See a pattern?

[Carbonize @ Dec 21st 2007 8:51AM]

Last I checked there were exploits for every OS and viruses for both Linux and Macs.

[Michael D @ Dec 21st 2007 4:42AM]

What's that in the middle? It looks like a fingerprint reader...

[Carbonize @ Dec 21st 2007 5:11AM]

I'd guess it's a USB socket as I believe this thing works as a proxy between your computer and the USB stick.

[monkfishbandana @ Dec 21st 2007 10:27AM]

Here are few more details, and it is a fingerprint reader.

http://www.t3.com/news/usb-biometric?=34957

[Brandon H @ Dec 21st 2007 5:15AM]

So you plug this in and run the software on it in Windows, or do you boot from it? I'm not really seeing how this is better than having a cloned USB HD with all your stuff and good anti-virus on it.

[Bernhard @ Dec 21st 2007 5:21AM]

I don't even use Anti-Virus software. Even if Vista nags with all those "administrator rights" windows, it is a sure way that weird stuff does not come on my machine.

[Carbonize @ Dec 21st 2007 5:23AM]

Never say never. No OS is 100% secure.

[Mtirv @ Dec 21st 2007 7:22AM]

especially Windows Vista...

[tamoghno @ Dec 21st 2007 5:31AM]

My SanDisk cruzer comes with built in avast antivirus. & i trust SanDisk more than LG in Flash drive.SanDisk is also U3 so it runs more than just the antivirus.

but the biggest point is , the Sandisk is not UGLY!

[Mark Goyette @ Dec 21st 2007 6:47PM]

U3 is surface storage junk, and this product will also be the same way most likely... It will probably cause the exact same user privilege errors that U3 causes and just be a head ache for computer administrators, I say take all the extra junk of the USB drives and just use them for storage already

[tekdroid @ Dec 22nd 2007 6:14AM]

U3 is terrible, IMO.
http://www.u3.com/uninstall/

There's no reason why your stick cannot "do other stuff" with it being just a plain honest-to-goodness USB drive.

[BobTurbo @ Dec 21st 2007 5:33AM]

Yeah it is a fingerprint scanner. Engadget have linked to the wrong picture. LG released two different things...

[Bolivar Baez @ Dec 21st 2007 5:51AM]

They are actually two USB, one with Biometric Scanner (the one in the picture) and the other one is the Vaccine.

[Jreg @ Dec 21st 2007 6:11AM]

Ah.
When I read the title and saw the scanner, I did actually think it was supposed to disinfect your fingers! Word...

[Carbonize @ Dec 21st 2007 6:37AM]

Having looked at the pictures on the pocket-lint page you have to wonder how they got the pictures mixed up given it has ANTIVIRUS plastered across it.

[Sh.H @ Dec 21st 2007 6:10AM]

they call it world's first(in the linked press release), but who is LG(UK) trying to kid? there has been several vaccine USBs on Korean market including one from LG themselves...

[Joshua Walters @ Dec 21st 2007 6:53AM]

Maybe to put in a gear bag, but there is no way I would buy that otherwise.

I mean, who wants there antivirus to stop when they unplug there drive? Not to mention it probably has some terrible software on it.

[Urza9814 @ Dec 21st 2007 12:45PM]

How automated is this? Because I know a few people who can't seem to keep their antivirus protection running for more than a week. Every time I go to fix this girl's computer, the antivirus is totally trashed and not even started, or she has three antivirus programs fighting each other, making her computer run like a 300mhz Pentium trying to run Vista. If this thing is simple enough that _anyone_ can use it, I could see a huge market for it.

[netposer @ Dec 21st 2007 8:01AM]

This thing would be cool if you could boot to it and scan your system for spyware and virii. If not it's just as useless as any other a/v a/s software out there.

Doesn't do you any good to boot up "all root-kitted and stuff", then try to use this.

[Akshat @ Dec 21st 2007 8:34AM]

2 questions -

a) Won't ppl rather use an antivirus than this? Doesn't really offer additional benefits right?

b) What if your comp already has an antivirus? Antiviruses are notorious for not playing well with each other ...

[Bloobie @ Dec 21st 2007 8:57AM]

How will this be marketed towards members of the Christian right, who do not even believe in vaccines? :)

[Karan @ Dec 21st 2007 9:36AM]

As the family-and-friends help-desk, this kind of thing is a godsend.

[tamoghno @ Dec 21st 2007 11:09AM]

i wonder if you are "help desk" then how come you dont know nout these things ? they are around for quite long time. even my Sandisk Cruzer have built in avast.

oh i think you are godsend !

[Carbonize @ Dec 21st 2007 11:28AM]

As I said in my first post you can get a copy of ClamAV that runs from a USB stick, ANY USB stick. So this is hardly an innovative product. Anyone who considers themselves as the local "helpdesk" would be carrying a USB stick with ClamAV and quite a few of the Sysinternals programs.

[Karan @ Dec 21st 2007 11:49AM]

My current USB toolkit has enough to be getting on with, but I've not heard anything advertised like this before, so if San Disk do have something like it, they haven't sold it much (funnily enough, it's a San Disk Cruzr Micro, so not all have them I guess).

[Brent - Roasting in an SC/TO @ Dec 21st 2007 11:28AM]

This is a joke, right? Even though it's not April 1.

Really. If you need to spend money so badly, please let me know. You can PayPal me your spare $$$.

If some techno-phreak runs a computer with no AV installed and relies on this instead, rights are immediately revoked.

What a waste of plastic.

[blarvh @ Dec 21st 2007 11:47AM]

Yea! Who need this crap, run your computers without ANY AV!

I'm surprised no one has mentioned it yet, but why run one when you can avoid dodgy sites. And if you get one trough some other way, just fix it if you notice it.

What's the worst thing that can happen? Have to format your drive?

[KC @ Dec 21st 2007 12:52PM]

@blarvh, urm... have your identity stolen, and get left holding a debt of $294,000?

[Z @ Dec 21st 2007 7:29PM]

Viruses? Oh, you mean for Windows machines. Man, I've been running Linux so long, I had forgotten that other people still deal with those pesky buggers. I hate that for you.

[Mark Goyette @ Dec 21st 2007 6:47PM]

This looks like just another stupid U3 software idea, U3 was a bad idea 12 months ago and still is a bad idea now, what makes LG think its a new good idea just making one with a built in anti virus on it?