Who would still start a business seriously after being reborn?

Chapter 708 Things Are Gone Wrong (Third Update!)

Unfortunately, after a week of trying various methods, their technical team still couldn't find a reasonable solution.

They released an emergency patch, but the virus mutated too quickly, and the patch became invalid immediately after its release.

They updated their malware removal tools, but the tools' detection logic also relies on signatures, which is ineffective against a massive number of variants.

They tried to analyze the original virus and find a universal removal method, but the code, optimized by countless hackers, was chaotic and complex, with each variant having its own unique characteristics.

After a week of hard work, their only contribution was giving the virus a new name: Panda Burning Incense.

“Mr. Waters, the situation is very serious.” The technical director reported again, his voice hoarse. “The virus’s transmission mechanism exploits multiple known and unknown vulnerabilities in the system’s underlying layer, and fixing them will take time. As for its variants, according to monitoring data, more than ninety new variants have emerged in the past six hours. We are now like trying to put out a forest fire started by countless sparks with a fire hose. It’s simply an impossible task.”

Waters closed his eyes and rubbed his throbbing temples.

He had never felt so powerless.

Facing opponents in the business world, whether it's Mike or Cheng Yi, he is confident that he can defeat them through various means.

But faced with this monster nurtured by countless hackers, his proud market strategies and capital power seemed to have all lost their effectiveness.

He no longer has the mood or energy to think about how to suppress the Momo system.

His only wish now is to get that damn panda out of the Windows system.

At this moment, in Ivanov's office at Kaspersky's China regional headquarters.

The atmosphere here is noticeably more somber than it was a week ago.

Ivanov no longer leisurely sipped his coffee as before, but stared intently at the virus distribution map on the screen with a furrowed brow.

The panda he had initially considered a minor ailment, now marked as infected in red on the map, had spread like a malignant fungal infection to almost every province.

“Mr. Ivan, our panda task force is still making slow progress.” The team leader, a senior engineer from the Russian headquarters, reported with a forced smile: “The number and rate of mutation of the variants have exceeded the predictions of all our models. We just finished analyzing the signatures of a batch of variants, and immediately a new batch of variants that bypass these signatures appeared. It’s like we are fighting an army that can split infinitely.”

Ivanov looked at the person in charge and frowned, saying, "Lovsky, making excuses isn't your style."

“Mr. Billionaire, I’m not making excuses. You’ve given me too few people. I’m not dealing with one virus right now, but thousands of variants. If you give me 200 people, I can’t guarantee that I can eliminate the virus, but I can guarantee that I can contain most of the variants.”

Ivanov fell silent.

The team he assigned to handle the Panda Burning Incense incident was indeed a small team of less than twenty people.

In his view, this was already a sufficient level of attention given to this small virus, and he still devoted most of Kaspersky's elite forces to the final eradication of 2345.

He really didn't expect that this virus, which didn't even have a name, would be so terrifying.

In the past few days, user forums and social media have been filled with complaints and doubts about Kaspersky.

What?! [Isn't Kaspersky supposed to be number one in the world? How come it can't even kill a panda?]

What? "My Kaspersky wasn't killed by the virus, but it can't kill viruses either. Aren't they from the same company?"

Such comments and discussions have caused quite a stir.

Worse still, some competitors who were previously suppressed by Kaspersky and were on the verge of collapse, though also struggling to survive themselves, began to speak out in the shadows, subtly accusing Kaspersky of bullying its customers, ignoring user security, and disregarding its responsibilities for the sake of market monopoly.

Some even questioned whether the panda burning incense was the work of Ivanov and Zhou Hongyi.

Ivanov finally realized that he had made a huge mistake.

He underestimated the monster nurtured by grassroots hackers and overestimated the effectiveness of his own technology in the face of this unconventional threat.

This panda incident not only affects users' computers, but also Kaspersky's hard-earned reputation for security authority in the Chinese market.

Ivanov pondered for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Immediately cease all targeted research and development and pursuit of the 2345 series variants. Withdraw all our technical resources from Kaspersky 360 and dedicate them entirely to eradicating the Panda Burning Incense. I'll give you forty-eight hours. Can you show me a breakthrough?"

“I can guarantee that I can contain 70 percent of the old virus, but I can’t promise anything about the new variants,” Lovsky said immediately.

“Alright.” Ivanov nodded and said, “Then I’ll give you forty-eight hours! I hope you won’t disappoint me; the whole of China is watching us now.”

"I see."

When Ivanov issued this order, he felt as if his heart was bleeding.

This means that all the tactical advantages previously gained against 2345 may be lost.

But Ivanov couldn't care less about that now.

He knew that if Kaspersky couldn't quickly subdue this panda, everything they had built up by suppressing competitors would be buried along with the collapse of Microsoft's reputation.

That afternoon, hundreds of Kaspersky technicians were evacuated from Kaspersky 360, leaving behind a large number of empty workstations.

For Zhou Hongyi, the sudden evacuation of Kaspersky's technical staff was nothing short of a disaster.

During this period, thanks to the support of Kaspersky's technical staff, they had regained their previous overwhelming advantage over 2345, but now...

Zhou Hongyi's face turned extremely ugly.

"President Zhou, with Kaspersky's people leaving, the pressure on our side is immense!" the deputy reported anxiously. "We already don't have enough engineers, and now we have to deal with 2345's counterattack and the rampant spread of the Panda virus at the same time. We simply can't keep up!"

Zhou Hongyi also felt a bit of a headache.

He was like a lightweight fighter fighting two heavyweights at the same time. He was barely holding on with the help of his powerful ally Kaspersky, but now that his ally has suddenly abandoned him, he is suddenly caught in a two-front war.

Numerous variants of the Panda Burning Incense virus have emerged, and 360 Security Guard's defense rules are unable to even restrict it. User complaints have surged, and public opinion has begun to shift, questioning Kaspersky and 360's ineffectiveness against Panda.

On the other hand, Pang Dongzi obviously wouldn't let this golden opportunity slip by, and kept adding new variants of rogue software.

Now, Zhou Hongyi finally understood the true meaning of being attacked from both sides and caught in a dilemma.

He knew that with 360's current strength, it was absolutely impossible to defeat 2345 in its complete form.

It's worth noting that 2345 now boasts the combined strengths of several antivirus software companies, including Rising and Jiangmin.

Those who specialize in defense are actually better at attacking.

Every time, the security personnel are actually top-notch hackers, just like an Olympic champion becoming a coach.

Laymen can question them as fat guys who don't understand football, but these experts dare not question them.

However, it is indeed urgent for Kaspersky to withdraw its efforts to combat this damn virus, as it has also severely impacted the operation of Kaspersky 360. User feedback forms frequently contain complaints about Kaspersky 360 and Panda Burning Incense dancing together.

He lay in his chair all night, deep in thought, and an idea quickly formed in his mind.

A temporary truce with Pang Dongzi, focusing efforts on dealing with the more dangerous and damaging Panda Burning Incense, seems like a viable option.

After all, 2345's fertile ground is also on the Microsoft system, and now the proliferation of Panda Burning Incense has also affected the development of 2345.

At this point, everyone can absolutely negotiate peace and continue to cooperate with external forces.

He took a deep breath, then picked up his phone and dialed the number he wished he could block forever.

The phone rang for a long time before being answered. Pang Dongzi's slightly mocking voice came from the other end: "A rare guest, President Zhou? Are you planning to give me an ultimatum?"

Zhou Hongyi suppressed the urge to curse and tried to keep her tone calm as she said, "Pang Dongzi, I don't have time to argue with you. You should know about the Panda Burning Incense incident. This virus is out of control now. If this continues, the entire market will be finished. The little grudges between us shouldn't matter in the face of such a huge crisis, right?"

He paused, then emphasized, "I propose that we temporarily cease fire, and that your 2345 team also allocate technical personnel to form a temporary technical group to share virus samples and data. Let's suppress this panda first, otherwise, if the market environment is ruined, our jobs will be destroyed."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by Pang Dongzi's laughter: "Hahaha! Zhou Hongyi, you think the same way I do. With a formidable enemy at hand, we should indeed unite against it. This Panda is really too arrogant, making it difficult for us to promote our software. I agree to a temporary ceasefire and work together to deal with the virus."

Zhou Hongyi was overjoyed, not expecting Pang Dongzi to agree so quickly. She hurriedly said, "Okay, it's settled then. I'll arrange the technical integration right away..."

"Don't rush, Mr. Zhou," Pang Dongzi interrupted him, saying, "You know our technical capabilities have been severely suppressed by you, and we need some time to recover and mobilize. How about this: you focus all your efforts on dealing with the virus first, and we'll catch up as quickly as possible, okay?"

Hearing Pang Dongzi say this, Zhou Hongyi knew that this guy didn't want to put in any effort. He didn't care if he didn't dare, as long as there was a temporary ceasefire and they had the opportunity to turn their attention to the virus, he didn't care about anything else.

He agreed, "Okay! I hope you keep your word!"

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Hongyi let out a long sigh of relief, as if a huge burden had been lifted off her shoulders.

He immediately ordered, "Pass the word down: suspend monitoring and removal of variant 2345, and devote all available resources to the analysis and rule updates of Panda Burning Incense. We need to assist Kaspersky in coming up with a solution as soon as possible."

At headquarters 2345, Pang Dongzi put down the phone, the sincere expression on his face vanishing instantly, replaced by undisguised greed.

"Idiot, do you really think I'd stick with you through thick and thin?" He sneered and said to his core subordinates who had gathered around him, "Now that Kaspersky has withdrawn, and Zhou Hongyi is also overwhelmed by that panda, she can't even take care of herself. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us."

His eyes gleamed with a wild light as he chuckled, “Immediately launch a full-scale counterattack! Unleash all our hidden gems and the new products we’ve been working on day and night these past few days! Open up all our promotional channels and maximize our efforts! I want to see our market share double this week!”

"Boss, what about the panda virus?" one of the subordinates asked cautiously.

"We're not an antivirus company, what the hell does antivirus have to do with us?" Pang Dongzi said dismissively. "Let it infect, we'll promote ours. Perfect, the more messy the user's computer is, the lower their trust in security software, the greater our opportunity. Let's strike while the iron is hot. While promoting our software, also spread some articles that slander Kaspersky 360, telling users that Kaspersky 360 is useless and urging them to uninstall it as soon as possible."

Almost at the same time that Zhou Hongyi was diverting resources to deal with Panda Burning Incense, new variants of the 2345 series of rogue software surged out like a flood bursting its banks.

The number has increased more than three times compared to usual.

They silently install by exploiting various system vulnerabilities, bundling software, or even disguising themselves as Panda Burning Incense removal tools, bombarding users with pop-up ads, hijacking browser homepages, and causing the entire Microsoft system environment to deteriorate rapidly at a visible speed.

Within two days, the 360 ​​team realized something was wrong.

"President Zhou, something terrible has happened! The number of variants of 2345 is exploding, and our defense rules simply can't keep up with the updates!" The deputy rushed into the office in a panic to report.

As Zhou Hongyi watched the curve representing 2345's activity level on the monitoring screen soar at almost a 90-degree angle, while his own interception rate against 2345 plummeted due to resource allocation, he felt a wave of dizziness and almost fainted.

He instantly realized that he had been tricked by Pang Dongzi.

They completely played a trick.

Taking advantage of his eagerness to deal with the Panda Burning Incense, the other side pretended to agree to a ceasefire, but in reality, they launched the most intense sneak attack in the past two months while he was off guard.

This stab really went straight to his kidney.

"Pang Dongzi, I'll f*** your ancestors!!!" Zhou Hongyi couldn't hold back any longer and started cursing.

He felt like a fool for opening his own security door and letting the robbers in.

Now, he faces an even worse situation than before.

Ahead, the Panda Burning Incense attack continues unabated, with no progress made in its efforts to resolve the issue, drawing widespread complaints from users.

In the rear, 2345 launched a fierce counterattack, and all their previous gains were wiped out, with users still hurling insults.

Trust between people is just so damn fragile!
It was as if he and Pang Dongzi had arranged a one-on-one fight in Chaoyang Park.

When he arrived, he found that Pang Dongzi had broken his promise and brought a large group of thugs.

(End of this chapter)