Patent ID: 8255926

Claim:
A method, in a data processing system, for providing notifications of possible computer virus infection to computing devices based on a defined social group, comprising: detecting an infection of a first computing device by a computer virus; determining an update or patch to a virus protection software for handling the computer virus; identifying a social group associated with the first computing device, the social group being a defined group of addresses associated with a plurality of computing devices that communicate with each other; distributing a plurality of notification messages to one or more second computing devices of the plurality of computing devices associated with the social group, wherein the notification messages identify the computer virus and the determined update or patch to the virus protection software associated with the computer virus; maintaining, in the first computing device, a data structure specifying a current status of virus protection software installed on each other computing device in the plurality of computing devices associated with the social group; and generating a separate notification message for each of the one or more second computing devices, wherein a content of the separate notification message is customized to a current status of virus protection software of a computing device associated with an address to which the separate notification message is sent.