Hungarian Expert Joins Organization Formed To Reform Anti-Viral Systems' Tests

Its members elected the board of Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization (AMTSO) founded in 2007. Its a considerable personal appreciation for Gábor Szappanos, head of VirusBuster's Virus Lab, and a great international success for his company, that Gábor Szappanos also became a board member.

The actual members of the AMTSO Board are: Jaimee King, Andreas Marx, Andrew Lee, Igor Muttik, Karel Obluk, Gábor Szappanos, Stuart Taylor, Matthew Williamson, Righard Zwienenberg. The board members are representing the leading developers and independent organizations of IT-security.

About AMTSO

Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization (AMTSO) is dedicated to helping improve the objectivity, quality and relevance of anti-malware technology testing. According to the preliminary charter, the purpose of organization is to:
- provide a forum for discussions related to the testing of anti-malware and related products;
- develop and publicize objective standards and best practices for testing of anti-malware and related products;
- promote education and awareness of issues related to the testing of anti-malware and related products;
- provide tools and resources to aid standards-based testing methodologies; and,
-provide analysis and review of current and future testing of anti-malware and related products.

The AMTSO was formalized by more than 40 security software technologists and anti-malware testers from around the world. The formation of organization has been driven by industry-wide concern about the increasing mismatch between what anti-malware technologies actually do, and the testing methodologies used to evaluate them.

As anti-malware solutions become more complex, many existing tests are unable to evaluate product effectiveness properly, resulting in product reviews that are sometimes incomplete, inaccurate and misleading. AMTSO is focused on addressing the global need for improvement in the objectivity, quality and relevance of testing methodologies. The organization also aims to develop universally adopted standards and guidelines for anti-malware testing.

AMTSO membership is open to industry-wide academics, reviewers, testers and vendors, subject to guidelines determined by AMTSO. The organization is currently supported by the following security developers and test institutions: ALWIL Software, AV-Comparatives, AVG Technologies, AVIRA, AV-TEST.org, Bit9, Bitdefender, ESET, F-Secure, G-Data, Hispasec, IBM, Kaspersky Lab, McAfee, Microsoft, Norman, Panda, PC Tools, Sana Security, Secure Computing, Sophos, Symantec, Trend Micro, Virus Bulletin, VirusBuster.

About Szappanos Gábor

Gábor Szappanos is dealing with computer viruses since 1995. What in the first time was a hobby for him, later became also his main job, when he began to work for VirusBuster Ltd. in 2001. His primary fields of interest are the Windows-, script-, macro-viruses and exe-packers.

Gábor Szappanos literally lives together with computer malwares, as he leads the Virus Lab of Virusbuster Ltd. since 2002. With his team he spends most part of his life by studying the structure and behavior of computer viruses, their impact on everyday users' life and the possible methods of protection against malwares.

Quote form Gábor Szappanos about the importance of AMTSO:

"Over the past years the typical user experience and behavior has changed regarding AV protection. Previously, the first line of defense was the on-demand scanning component of their virus scanner. Today on-demand scanning is still a valuable part of the defense, but lost in importance. Users rely much more on an-access protection mechanisms, and multi-layered defense solutions. This paradigm change has not yet been reflected in the AV testing methodologies. We have to work on bringing AV tests closer to today’s demands and practices."

About VirusBuster Ltd.

VirusBuster  provides customized, multi-level virus protection solutions tailored to individual customer demands and backed by high quality technical support. VirusBuster has been developing and distributing anti-virus and other IT security solutions for more than 15 years -- including workstation, server and mail server protection, as well as antivirus management systems. VirusBuster products have won the "Virus Bulletin 100% Award" and the "Checkmark Anti-Virus Level One" certification several times, and received the "Desktop/Server Anti-Virus Detection", "Desktop/Server Anti-Virus Cleaning" certifications from ICSA Labs, and OESISOK industrial certification from OPSWAT, which are clear indications of their quality and performance. VirusBuster products are available through its partners in Europe, South and North America and other regions around the world.

In 2008, VirusBuster's managing director Julianna Bozsó was awarded by "The IT-CEO of the Year" title, which is a recognition of her high performance among the CEOs of Hungary's IT industry.

The recognition and quality of VirusBuster's technology indicated by the fact, that the anti-viral engine used in every products of the firm is licensed by Microsoft, Kaspersky Lab, Agnitum, and other developers."

Source: VirusBuster