The Window of Exposure
The Window of Exposure
The Window of Exposure is the period of time between the release of a new virus into the wild, and the point at which end-user networks are protected from that virus.
Traditional anti-virus software relies upon virus signatures to detect a virus. Anti-virus vendors are only able to produce new signatures if they have sight of the virus. Once they receive a new suspect virus (typically from a customer) they will work to develop a new signature. Once a signature has been created and tested, an update is made available for download, enabling customers to install these updates on their systems.
The lifecycle of a new virus
