American software developer (1956–2017)
Ross Greenberg |
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 Ross Greenberg at Chelsey Park Health and Rehab. (August 2016) |
| Born | Ross Matthew Greenberg
(1956-09-16)September 16, 1956
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| Died | February 16, 2017(2017-02-16) (aged 60)
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| Nationality | American |
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| Occupation(s) | programmer; journalist |
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| Known for | antivirus pioneer |
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| Notable work | Flushot Plus |
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Ross Matthew Greenberg (September 16, 1956 – February 16, 2017) was an American software developer, noted for creating one of the first antivirus software products. He also worked in journalism, and was a founding member of the Internet Press Guild.
Career
Flushot Plus
In 1987, as Software Concepts Design, Greenberg released one of the first two heuristic antivirus software utilities, Flushot Plus.[1][2][3] He released it as shareware for $10.[4]
O'Reilly book author Roger A. Grimes described Flushot Plus as "the first holistic program to fight MMC [malicious mobile code]".[5]
Journalism
In the 1980s, Greenberg was a frequent contributor to PC Magazine, and was the primary sysop of its CompuServe forum, PC MagNet.[6]
In 1996, he became a founder member of the Internet Press Guild.[7][8]
Personal life
Greenberg was born in New York City, and raised in Syosset. His parents were Muriel and Walter Greenberg. He had two sisters: Toni (Richard) Koweek and Carla G. Kaplan.[9]
Greenberg attended the State University of New York at Stony Brook, graduating in 1978.[10]
Greenberg's wife, Dawn, was from Marietta, Georgia.[9]
Greenberg was survived by his wife, son Wade Maxwell Greenberg of Marietta, step-daughter Chanice Hughes-Greenberg of NYC, and elder sister Toni of Hudson.[9]
Health issues and death
Greenberg suffered from multiple sclerosis, first diagnosed in the mid-1980s. His elder sister described the form of his illness as "aggressive".[9]
In late 2009, after his condition became too challenging for his family to care for him, Greenberg moved to a nursing home near Atlanta, Georgia.[11] He later moved to a nursing home in Forsyth, Georgia. In August 2015, he was moved to Chelsey Park Health and Rehabilitation Center, Dahlonega, Georgia,[9] where he died after contracting pneumonia,[citation needed] in February 2017.[12]
