For starters it would be easily accessible. It would work with existing antivirus and security software. It would work quickly and effectively without interfering with productivity. And it would be user-friendly.
Most importantly, it would detect even the hardest to find hidden malware and have the ability to remove it when found.
Finally, it would issue a full report of its findings, let the user know about potential vulnerabilities, and then disappear from the system without a trace.
Does such an antivirus solution exist? Yes it does. It’s called Malware Radar.
“Malware Radar is unlike anything currently available with respect to antivirus and Internet security solutions,” says Ryan Sherstobitoff, Panda Security’s Internet security expert. “To my knowledge, it is the most effective tool for finding and locating today’s new breed of super-secret, virtually undetectable malware that now infects a large percentage of computers and computer networks around the globe.”
Nothing is ever "perfect" of course, but Malware Radar is surprisingly ideal from a variety of viewpoints.
“This is what anyone who uses Malware Radar can expect: No matter how “protected” your system may be, no matter how much you are spending on your network security, the odds are pretty good that you will find hidden malware on your system using our technology,” says Sherstobitoff. “I realize that it can be shocking and somewhat unreal to find malware on a system – especially if you are a bank or Fortune 500 company – but we continue to find intruders on systems with security measures already in place.”
Sherstobitoff is speaking from experience. This past year he has been crisscrossing the country, demonstrating to various groups that they are not as protected with their antivirus solutions as they thought they were.
The truth of the matter is that the underlying dynamics of Internet security and computer malware has changed dramatically in the past few years. So successful have criminals been at hiding what they are doing, no one, it seems, is sounding the bell to let the general public know what is going on.
“For all intents and purposes, today’s malware is virtually invisible,” he states. “Criminals and hackers have gotten so sophisticated that they have created Internet invaders that can not be detected by traditional antivirus solutions. Today’s malware is able to slip past antivirus software and firewalls, and then reside on computer networks totally undetected. While residing on the system, they are usually stealing the computer network blind of all its confidential and profitable information.”
Panda Security seems to be one of the few antivirus companies that has tried to make the public at large aware of the seriousness of the problem. Because other providers lack the capability of detecting a large percentage of today’s malware, most of the industry isn’t anxious to talk about it. Panda, however, feels that it is very important that the public be informed.
“I think that it is extremely important that the general public find out for themselves that there is a problem with the Internet,” Sherstobitoff says referring to the current vulnerabilities in antivirus and Internet security software. “I don’t want corporations and businesses to take my word for it. I want them to go to the site and find out for themselves if they are infected.”
Assuming one intends to take advantage of this antivirus service, what can one expect to find?
“I think people will find that Malware Radar is a pretty amazing tool,” says Sherstobitoff. “There’s nothing to install. The user has a choice of a quick scan, or a much more thorough and in-depth audit. The size of the network doesn’t matter as Malware Radar is easy to deploy and comes with a distribution tool that the administrator can use to totally control what computers he wants scanned.”
After the audit, Malware Radar provides two full reports (type and quantity of malware detected and its exact location), the vulnerabilities detected, and the status of the current level of protection. One report contains the main results and recommendations; the other is a technical report with full details on each computer scanned.
“It’s important for potential users to know that Malware Radar is not going to conflict with the antivirus or security program that the user may have installed on the system,” explains Sherstobitoff. “Malware Radar is not meant to replace or interfere with any antivirus software program. After the scan is complete, Malware Radar leaves no trace of ever being on the system.”
Sherstobitoff says that Malware Radar is not an antivirus or Internet security program and that it is very important that the user continue to use an antivirus program after the scan is complete. What Malware Radar does do is take a kind of “snapshot” of the current state of any network on which it is used. It will give those who take advantage of it a complete picture as to just how well their system is being protected.
When the scan is complete, the administrator has the option of using Malware Radar’s cleanup tool. This is optional, but most find it extremely useful since the antivirus program in place isn’t seeing the hidden malware and therefore can’t remove it.
“We think it is going to be a real eye-opener when the public use this service," predicts Sherstobitoff. “Companies that have used it have been able to get a true picture of the state of their computer network protection. Although it has at times been shocking to find hidden malware on their systems, it was also a relief for them to be able to remove the danger before too much damage was done. It is our hope that everyone takes advantage of this remarkable service. It really is an antivirus solution on steroids."
By Thomas Hardy Faulkner, Editor, Collective Intelligence
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