* [Blog](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog)
* [Palo Alto Networks](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/corporate/)
* [Endpoint](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/endpoint-2/)
* Conventional AV Systems C...

# Conventional AV Systems Can Actually Harm You

[](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.paloaltonetworks.com%2Fblog%2F2016%2F06%2Fconventional-av-systems-can-actually-harm-you%2F)  
[](https://twitter.com/share?text=Conventional+AV+Systems+Can+Actually+Harm+You&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.paloaltonetworks.com%2Fblog%2F2016%2F06%2Fconventional-av-systems-can-actually-harm-you%2F)  
[](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.paloaltonetworks.com%2Fblog%2F2016%2F06%2Fconventional-av-systems-can-actually-harm-you%2F&title=Conventional+AV+Systems+Can+Actually+Harm+You&summary=&source=)  
[](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com//www.reddit.com/submit?url=https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/2016/06/conventional-av-systems-can-actually-harm-you/&ts=markdown)  
\[\](mailto:?subject=Conventional AV Systems Can Actually Harm You)  
Link copied  
By [Steve Gerrard](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/author/steve-gerrard/?ts=markdown "Posts by Steve Gerrard")  
Jun 13, 2016  
3 minutes  
[Endpoint](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/endpoint-2/?ts=markdown)  
[Threat Prevention](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/threat-prevention-2/?ts=markdown)  
[Advanced Endpoint Protection](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/tag/advanced-endpoint-protection/?ts=markdown)  
[AV sys](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/tag/av-sys/?ts=markdown)  
[conventional AV systems](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/tag/conventional-av-systems/?ts=markdown)  
[Traps](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/tag/traps/?ts=markdown)

There's barely a day goes by when I'm not reading another batch of stories about how unsuitable conventional endpoint AV security is for dealing with modern malware, APTs, zero-day threats and so forth.

So replete are these tales of woe that it's almost possible to switch off from the basic fact that in this uber-connected, cloud-enabled, everything-as-a-service, internet-of-thingamajigs world, most conventional endpoint AV systems are impotent and probably do more harm than good. I write almost, but not quite, because every now and again the occasional story jumps off the screen and gives you that all important wake-up call.

One such story that came to light a few weeks ago, centered around an Adverse Event Report [published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)](https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfmaude/detail.cfm?mdrfoi__id=5487204). Wherein, a patient (not named), undergoing a cardiac catheterisation procedure at a US Hospital (also not named) had to be sedated, mid-operation, for five minutes, while the procedure was suspended following the system crash of a vital piece of monitoring equipment.

The system in question monitors, measures and records patient data during cardiac catheterization procedures. The system is made up of a patient data module, used to capture the patient's vitals, and a hemo monitor PC to display them. The two elements are connected via a serial interface.

During this particular procedure the monitor PC lost communication with the patient data module resulting in a black screen on the monitor and the patient having to be sedated while the system was rebooted. As the FDA report describes, the cause of this blackout was attributed to the installed conventional AV software, which at a critical point in the procedure initiated a scan of the system.

Although the system could be rebooted and the patient fortunately survived it got me thinking about the real-life harm a conventional AV could do to me. Quoting from the Manufacturers Narrative in the FDA Report, "Our experience has shown that improper configuration of anti-virus software can have adverse effects including downtime and clinically unusable performance." So, although I may be sensationalizing the FDA's paragraph a little, I'm not feeling that confident after reading the manufacturer's narrative. Let's face it: the team performing a standard cardiac catheterisation procedure is not likely to include an IT security engineer who can be called upon at a moment's notice.

Could this scenario have been avoided with an Advanced Endpoint Protection system? The answer is probably yes. [Traps, our advanced endpoint protection product](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/products/secure-the-endpoint/traps?ts=markdown), is not a conventional AV system -- indeed, it's a paradigm shift from "the way things used to be done." Traps secures endpoints by preventing known and unknown malware and exploits from executing by focusing on blocking the few, core techniques used by attackers rather than application-specific characteristics. Furthermore, It does this in a lightweight, nonintrusive agent **that definitely does not rely on system scanning**.

### Learn more

* [Watch a demo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZooAAceKMk&feature=youtu.be)
* [Ultimate Test Drive](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/events/test-drive.html?ts=markdown)
* [Traps](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/products/secure-the-endpoint/traps?ts=markdown)

*** ** * ** ***

## Related Blogs

### [Endpoint](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/endpoint-2/?ts=markdown), [Products and Services](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/products-and-services/?ts=markdown), [Secure the Enterprise](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/secure-the-enterprise/?ts=markdown)

[#### Introducing Traps for Android](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/2018/06/introducing-traps-android/)

### [Company \& Culture](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/company-culture/?ts=markdown), [Endpoint](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/endpoint-2/?ts=markdown), [Products and Services](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/products-and-services/?ts=markdown)

[#### Traps "Recommended" in NSS Labs Advanced Endpoint Protection Test](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/2018/04/traps-recommended-nss-labs-advanced-endpoint-protection-test/)

### [Endpoint](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/endpoint-2/?ts=markdown)

[#### Traps Prevents Ransomware Attacks](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/2017/11/traps-prevents-ransomware-attacks/)

### [Endpoint](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/endpoint-2/?ts=markdown)

[#### Traps Prevents Microsoft Office Zero-Day](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/2017/10/traps-prevents-microsoft-office-zero-day/)

### [Endpoint](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/endpoint-2/?ts=markdown), [Threat Prevention](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/threat-prevention-2/?ts=markdown)

[#### Traps Prevents Kernel APC Attacks](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/2017/10/traps-prevents-kernel-apc-attacks/)

### [Announcement](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/announcement/?ts=markdown), [Endpoint](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/category/endpoint-2/?ts=markdown)

[#### Traps: Expanding Ransomware Protection for Current and Future Threats](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/2017/09/traps-4-1/)

### Subscribe to the Blog!

Sign up to receive must-read articles, Playbooks of the Week, new feature announcements, and more.
![spinner](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/wp-content/themes/panwblog2023/dist/images/ajax-loader.gif) Sign up  
Please enter a valid email.  
By submitting this form, you agree to our [Terms of Use](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/legal-notices/terms-of-use?ts=markdown) and acknowledge our [Privacy Statement](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/legal-notices/privacy?ts=markdown). Please look for a confirmation email from us. If you don't receive it in the next 10 minutes, please check your spam folder.  
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google [Privacy Policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy) and [Terms of Service](https://policies.google.com/terms) apply.  
{#footer} {#footer}

## Products and Services

* [AI-Powered Network Security Platform](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security?ts=markdown)

* [Secure AI by Design](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/precision-ai-security/secure-ai-by-design?ts=markdown)

* [Prisma AIRS](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/prisma-ai-runtime-security?ts=markdown)

* [AI Access Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/ai-access-security?ts=markdown)

* [Cloud Delivered Security Services](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/security-subscriptions?ts=markdown)

* [Advanced Threat Prevention](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/advanced-threat-prevention?ts=markdown)

* [Advanced URL Filtering](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/advanced-url-filtering?ts=markdown)

* [Advanced WildFire](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/advanced-wildfire?ts=markdown)

* [Advanced DNS Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/advanced-dns-security?ts=markdown)

* [Enterprise Data Loss Prevention](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/enterprise-data-loss-prevention?ts=markdown)

* [Enterprise IoT Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/enterprise-device-security?ts=markdown)

* [Medical IoT Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/medical-device-security?ts=markdown)

* [Industrial OT Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/medical-device-security?ts=markdown)

* [SaaS Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/saas-security?ts=markdown)

* [Next-Generation Firewalls](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/next-generation-firewall?ts=markdown)

* [Hardware Firewalls](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/hardware-firewall-innovations?ts=markdown)

* [Software Firewalls](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/software-firewalls?ts=markdown)

* [Strata Cloud Manager](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/strata-cloud-manager?ts=markdown)

* [SD-WAN for NGFW](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/sd-wan-subscription?ts=markdown)

* [PAN-OS](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/pan-os?ts=markdown)

* [Panorama](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/panorama?ts=markdown)

* [Secure Access Service Edge](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase?ts=markdown)

* [Prisma SASE](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase?ts=markdown)

* [Application Acceleration](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/app-acceleration?ts=markdown)

* [Autonomous Digital Experience Management](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/adem?ts=markdown)

* [Enterprise DLP](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/enterprise-data-loss-prevention?ts=markdown)

* [Prisma Access](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/access?ts=markdown)

* [Prisma Browser](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/prisma-browser?ts=markdown)

* [Prisma SD-WAN](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/sd-wan?ts=markdown)

* [Remote Browser Isolation](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/remote-browser-isolation?ts=markdown)

* [SaaS Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sase/saas-security?ts=markdown)

* [AI-Driven Security Operations Platform](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex?ts=markdown)

* [Cloud Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cloud?ts=markdown)

* [Cortex Cloud](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cloud?ts=markdown)

* [Application Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cloud/application-security?ts=markdown)

* [Cloud Posture Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cloud/cloud-posture-security?ts=markdown)

* [Cloud Runtime Security](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cloud/runtime-security?ts=markdown)

* [Prisma Cloud](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/cloud?ts=markdown)

* [AI-Driven SOC](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex?ts=markdown)

* [Cortex XSIAM](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cortex-xsiam?ts=markdown)

* [Cortex XDR](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cortex-xdr?ts=markdown)

* [Cortex XSOAR](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cortex-xsoar?ts=markdown)

* [Cortex Xpanse](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/cortex-xpanse?ts=markdown)

* [Unit 42 Managed Detection \& Response](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/managed-detection-and-response?ts=markdown)

* [Managed XSIAM](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex/managed-xsiam?ts=markdown)

* [Threat Intel and Incident Response Services](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/unit42?ts=markdown)

* [Proactive Assessments](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/unit42/assess?ts=markdown)

* [Incident Response](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/unit42/respond?ts=markdown)

* [Transform Your Security Strategy](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/unit42/transform?ts=markdown)

* [Discover Threat Intelligence](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/unit42/threat-intelligence-partners?ts=markdown)

## Company

* [About Us](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/about-us?ts=markdown)
* [Careers](https://jobs.paloaltonetworks.com/en/)
* [Contact Us](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/company/contact-sales?ts=markdown)
* [Corporate Responsibility](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/about-us/corporate-responsibility?ts=markdown)
* [Customers](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/customers?ts=markdown)
* [Investor Relations](https://investors.paloaltonetworks.com/)
* [Location](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/about-us/locations?ts=markdown)
* [Newsroom](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/company/newsroom?ts=markdown)

## Popular Links

* [Blog](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/?ts=markdown)
* [Communities](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/communities?ts=markdown)
* [Content Library](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/resources?ts=markdown)
* [Cyberpedia](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cyberpedia?ts=markdown)
* [Event Center](https://events.paloaltonetworks.com/)
* [Manage Email Preferences](https://start.paloaltonetworks.com/preference-center)
* [Products A-Z](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/products/products-a-z?ts=markdown)
* [Product Certifications](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/legal-notices/trust-center/compliance?ts=markdown)
* [Report a Vulnerability](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/security-disclosure?ts=markdown)
* [Sitemap](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/sitemap?ts=markdown)
* [Tech Docs](https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/)
* [Unit 42](https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/)
* [Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information](https://panwedd.exterro.net/portal/dsar.htm?target=panwedd)
  ![PAN logo](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/etc/clientlibs/clean/imgs/pan-logo-dark.svg)
* [Privacy](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/legal-notices/privacy?ts=markdown)
* [Trust Center](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/legal-notices/trust-center?ts=markdown)
* [Terms of Use](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/legal-notices/terms-of-use?ts=markdown)
* [Documents](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/legal?ts=markdown)

Copyright © 2026 Palo Alto Networks. All Rights Reserved

* [![Youtube](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/etc/clientlibs/clean/imgs/social/youtube-black.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/user/paloaltonetworks)
* [![Podcast](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/content/dam/pan/en_US/images/icons/podcast.svg)](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/podcasts/threat-vector?ts=markdown)
* [![Facebook](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/etc/clientlibs/clean/imgs/social/facebook-black.svg)](https://www.facebook.com/PaloAltoNetworks/)
* [![LinkedIn](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/etc/clientlibs/clean/imgs/social/linkedin-black.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/palo-alto-networks)
* [![Twitter](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/etc/clientlibs/clean/imgs/social/twitter-x-black.svg)](https://twitter.com/PaloAltoNtwks)
* EN  
  Select your language