Anti-virus service ‘VirusTotal’ has launched a service called, ‘VirusTotal Monitor’ which helps flag mistaken detection of otherwise legitimate software.
VirusTotal said the new service allowed software developers to upload their creations to a private Cloud store in VirusTotal. Files in this private bucket were then scanned with all 70+ antivirus vendors in the VirusTotal kitty on a daily basis, using the latest detection signature sets. Files also remained absolutely private, not shared with 3rd parties. Only in the event of a detection is the file shared with the antivirus vendor producing the alert.
As soon as the file is “detected”, both the software developer & the antivirus vendor are notified, following which the antivirus vendor can access the file & its metadata, i.e. the company behind the file, software developer contact information, etc, so that it can act on the detection & remediate it if it is indeed considered a false positive. The entire process is automatic, according to VirusTotal.
For antivirus vendors this is a big thing. Why? Because they can now have context about a file – who is the company behind it, when was the software released, & so on? For software developers it’s equally a big thing because they can upload their creations to Monitor at pre-publish stage, to ensure a release without issues. They can also keep their files in the system, to automate notification of false positives to antivirus vendors in the future. Software developers no longer have to interact with 70 different vendors, each having its own interface & strenuous process to communicate issues, said VirusTotal on its official blog.
Image Credit: VirusTotal
