Web-Based Service provides automated malware auditing.
Press Release Summary:
Designed to complement existing malware solutions, Malware Radar seeks out and eliminates malware that slips past protection installed. It centrally collects and stores behavioral patterns of programs, file traces, and new malware examples, then automatically analyzes and classifies them. Extracted knowledge is delivered to users as web service or through signature file updates. Malware Radar can be configured and run from any network computer with Internet connection and web browser.
Original Press Release:
Panda Software Releases Malware Radar, the First Automated Malware Audit Service
GLENDALE, Calif., Feb. 15 /- Taking steps to respond to the dramatic growth of malware, Panda Software announced the release of Malware Radar, a new automated malware audit service, which detects threats that slip past traditional solutions. Developed by Panda Software based on a "collective intelligence" approach, it achieves greater detection ratios than typical anti-malware solutions. During testing, this new tool detected malware in 76 percent of the networks audited, even though they had security solutions in place.
Malware Radar is designed to complement existing anti-malware solutions. Panda reported seeing a huge increase in malware in 2006. The problem posed by the huge growth in the amount of malware in circulation has been verified by PandaLabs and other security laboratories, as well as by industry analysts. PandaLabs identified more malware examples in 2006 than the cumulative numbers of the prior fifteen years total. Gartner forecasts that by the end of 2007, 75 percent of companies will be affected by targeted malware, which will have evaded their traditional perimeter and host defenses.
This dramatic increase is due to a change in motivation of malware creators, shifting from personal recognition to a criminal profit emphasis. According to PandaLabs, in 2006, 75 percent of the examples processed were designed for financial gain. Malware authors are generating a growing number of new examples and variants. Laboratories cannot cope, and tens of thousands of malware examples are not analyzed. As a result, users are vulnerable to them.
Panda's answer to this problem is to complement the security solutions already installed on desktops and servers with periodic malware audits. Malware Radar is the first automated audit service to seek out and eliminate malware that slips past the protection installed.
Malware Radar is developed by Panda Research based on a "collective intelligence" approach and housed in a network of datacenters (initially made up of approximately 100 servers). The pillars of this new system are:
1) Collection of data from the community. The system centrally collects and stores behavioral patterns of programs, file traces, new malware examples, etc. This data comes from Panda users, and from other companies and collaborators. This wide capacity to collect information provides higher visibility of the threats that are active in the Internet.
2) Automated data processing. The system automatically analyzes and classifies the thousands of new samples received every day. To do this, an expert system correlates the data received from the community with PandaLab's extensive malware knowledge base. The system automatically returns verdicts (malware or goodware) on the new files received from the community, thereby reducing the tasks that PandaLabs must carry out manually to a minimum.
3) Release of the knowledge extracted. This knowledge in delivered to users as web services or through signature file updates.
According to Bruno Rodriguez, Director of the Malware Radar Business Unit, "the new centralized intelligence approach allows us to tackle an increasingly evident problem. Current products only detect a small part of the malware created every day. Through this new approach, Malware Radar allows us to detect more threats than if we scanned a network with various anti-malware solutions at the same time." He adds, "This is a very real situation. We encourage all administrators to see it for themselves by trying the Malware Radar service completely free."
Malware Radar can easily be configured and run from any network computer with an Internet connection and a web browser. As it is a web-based on-demand service, it does not need to be installed on every computer. Once the audit has started, the process is performed automatically and without intervention on the computers specified by the administrator.
Malware Radar is not only compatible with any anti-malware solution installed on the computers, but also complements them to improve network security. Furthermore, the service is transparent to the end-user and resource usage can be adapted to the administrator's preferences.
You can try the service, completely free or buy Malware Radar online from www.malwareradar.com/. You can also get more information or buy the Panda Software service from your usual reseller or through Panda Software's sales network (malwareradarsales@pandasoftware.com).
For more information on Malware Radar, go to www.malwareradar.com/.
About PandaLabs
Since 1990, its mission has been to analyze new threats as rapidly as possible to keep our clients safe. Several teams, each specialized in a specific type of malware (viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware, phishing, spam, etc.), work 24/7 to provide global coverage. To achieve this, they also have the support of TruPrevent(TM) Technologies, which act as a global early-warning system made up of strategically distributed sensors to neutralize new threats and send them to PandaLabs for in-depth analysis. According to Av.Test.org, PandaLabs is currently the fastest laboratory in the industry in providing complete updates to users (more info at www.pandasoftware.com/pandalabs.asp).
CONTACT: Paul Velusamy of Panda Software, +1-818-543-6965, pvelusamy@pandasecurity.com
Web site: http://www.malwareradar.com/
Web site: http://www.pandasoftware.com/
