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• Panda Internet Security 2011 ranks above Symantec, ESET, AVG, Kaspersky and others
• Company’s cloud protection backbone also gets top honors in recent independent review from AV-Test.org

Global IT vendor Panda Security announced that Panda Internet Security 2011 obtained the Number One rank in the most recent Security Suites Performance Test from independent reviewer, AV-Comparatives.org. Panda Security received the highest certification level of Advanced+ and performed better overall than all of the competition including Symantec, ESET, AVG, Kaspersky, F-Secure and Trend Micro. This test released on August 23 reviewed the impact of security suites on system performance, and underscores the effectiveness of Panda’s proactive and cloud protection technologies in detecting new malware while minimizing impact on users’ PCs performance.

“It’s becoming increasingly important that antivirus software provides high detection and remediation rates without degrading system performance,” said Andreas Clementi, chairman, AV-Comparatives.org. “Panda Security’s approach in bringing malware detection and analysis into the cloud has proven to be an effective way to tackle this complex issue.”

All of the consumer and business solutions offered by Panda Security benefit from Collective Intelligence, the company’s cloud-based technology for automating the identification and remediation of malware threats instantaneously. Collective Intelligence leverages Panda’s global network of millions of users, referred to as the Power of Community, to deliver real-time protection against new and unknown threats.  This protection model decreases PC resource consumption significantly, and is the primary reason for the product’s high scores in PC performance impact. Panda Internet Security 2011 and Panda’s other consumer security suites boast a 50 percent improvement in performance on Windows 7 environments when compared to last year’s versions.

In addition to the performance impact review by AV-Comparatives.org, Panda Security has achieved top scores in many recent independent tests including:

•  Full Product Test by AV-Test.org (August 2010): Panda Internet Security 2010 received excellent scores in all categories, accomplishing top rank along with two other vendors.
• PC Security Labs Total Protection Test (August 2010): Panda Internet Security 2010 achieved both “5 Star” rating and a special award for “Top Detection” out of all tested solutions by the Chinese independent lab.
• Product Review by Computerworld (July 2010): Panda Internet Security 2010 was reviewed by Frank Ohlhorst who concluded that the product offers “maximum protection with minimum fuss.”
• Retrospective/Proactive Test by AV-Comparatives.org (May 2010):  Panda Antivirus Pro 2010 obtained the top score for its proactive capabilities, and detected impressive amounts of new malware using only heuristics and generic signatures.
• On-Demand Malware Detection Test by AV-Comparatives.org (February 2010): Panda Antivirus Pro 2010 achieved top scores, scoring 99.2 percent in the detection of the tests sample set.

“These independent test results demonstrate that it’s possible to lessen the impact of antivirus software on PC performance while at the same time increasing protection”, says Jeremy Matthews, head of Panda’s sub-Saharan operations.  “Panda is in a unique position to deliver excellent protection with minimum impact on computer resources because of our innovation with cloud-based scanning”, he concludes.

To find out more about Panda Internet Security 2011 please visit http://www.pandasecurity.com/homeusers/solutions/internet-security/

-       Panda AdminSecure, the nerve center of Panda Security’s traditional corporate security solutions, now has 20% more detection capacity thanks to Collective Intelligence

-       Users of any of the company’s corporate security suites will now enjoy real-time protection against new malware

Global IT vendor Panda Security has announced the launch of Panda AdminSecure (4.07), the nerve center of its traditional corporate security solutions. This new version includes a new anti-malware engine, with the major innovation of cloud connection and the transfer of scanning and malware identification processes to the Collective Intelligence technologies, Panda’s system for detecting, analyzing and classifying new and unknown computer threats.

This evolution of AdminSecure’s engine has increased the capacity to detect threats on workstations, laptops and servers by almost 20%, delivering protection in real time, without impacting network resources.

“Whereas previously clients had to download the signature file and deploy it across the network, the new version combines real-time access to the cloud  with traditional signature file protection”, says Jeremy Matthews, head of Panda’s sub-Saharan operations. “This means that clients will no longer  be exposed to ‘window period’ risks while downloading the singnature files.”

The engine has also been improved to drastically reduce the resource consumption of the local scan and identification processes, decreasing the impact on computer and server performance.

The new anti-malware engine also offers a new genetic engine, including new codes for identifying unknown malware, using new traces and indicators to recognize and automatically block threats, without user intervention, and with no false positives. This feature is of particular importance for remote and mobile users who may not always have an Internet connection or connection to the corporate network.

Two security suites

Panda AdminSecure is the solution that brings together the management of all Panda Security protection. It enables network-wide deployment, monitoring, configuration and maintenance of  protection from a single point. It adapts to any network topology and, in addition to its own security policy definitions, integrates transparently with third-party technologies.

The security suites that include the new version of AdminSecure are Panda Security for Business, offering SMBs protection for Windows and Linux file servers and workstations, and Panda Security for Enterprise, designed for large corporate environments, which also includes protection for perimeter and mail servers.

This new version of the Panda Security solution completes the company’s cloud security offer for the corporate market, which also includes the Panda Cloud Protection solutions for workstations, email and the Internet.

For more information about Panda, visit http://www.pandasecurity.com/.

 Blackhat SEO techniques are being used by cyber-criminals to position malicious links in top results in search engines

Other popular topics recently used include the last episode of Lost and the release of Iron Man 2

Global IT vendor Panda security has detected more than 200 spoof Web addresses using the name of Justin Bieber as bait to lure users. By including the name of this popular singer in malicious links, cyber-criminals are distributing the fake antivirus MySecurityEngine. This technique has been used many times before, taking advantage of popular topics such as the last episode of Lost or the release of the movie Iron Man 2.

Pic available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/panda_security/4903310831/

References to Justin Bieber in malicious links include amongst others:

justin bieber takes estrogen pills

justin bieber smoking weed

justin bieber born in 1998

justin bieber north korea

justin bieber arrested

justin bieber died

justin bieber drinking problem

justin bieber gender change operation

justin bieber hermaphrodite

There is nothing new about the way this infection operates. When somebody runs a search for this singer on the Internet, these fake websites have been indexed to appear among the first results displayed. If users click these links, they will be prompted to accept the download of a file, such as a codec, and the fake antivirus will be installed on their computers.

“These types of activities have become increasingly common”, says Jeremy Matthews, head of Panda’s sub-Saharan operations. “Any popular topic or issue is used by cyber-crooks to spread their creations. By positioning websites used to distribute malware among the first results in search engines, they can be sure that numerous Internet users will inadvertently download the fake antivirus”, he concludes.

Panda advises users to take precautions when searching for information on the Internet. They should ensure they have reliable antivirus software installed and use safe browsing tools, such as those offered free by Panda at http://free.pandasecurity.com.

For more information about Panda, visit http://www.pandasecurity.com/.

Panda detected 100% of malware scanned in the AV-Test report, in both private and In The Wild virus lists

Global IT vendor Panda Security has taken the top spot in AV-Test’s Q2 report (http://av-test.org/).  Panda Internet Security 2010 has received the prestigious laboratory’s certification, after passing with above average scores on all protection, cleaning and usability tests as well as those designed to test the solutions’ ability to repair computers infected with malware.  

In the protection test, Panda Internet Security 2010 achieved a score of 5.5 out of 6, as it did in the areas of cleaning and repairing computers infected with malware. The solution scored 5 out of 6 for usability.

In the first section of protection against malware infections, the most significant results came in the detection of the malware batch used by AV-Test as well as those in the ‘In the Wild’ list, where the solution detected 100% of samples. In the detection of 0-day malware attacks on the Internet, including Web and email threats, Panda Security scored 82%, 89% and 74% respectively in the three test months. In the dynamic detection testing, Panda detected 81% of the samples used, which is way above the industry average of 63%. 

Panda Internet Security 2010 also scored 100% in the detection and elimination of rootkits and hidden malware. In the section on cleaning and repairing computers infected with malware, Panda Security achieved 95% in the elimination of active malware components (according to the WildList), once again above the industry average. 

In the usability section, the impact ratio of the antivirus on computer performance was 101 seconds, less than half the industry average of 251 seconds. 

“These results illustrate the great detection capacity of Panda’s Collective Intelligence detection system” says Jeremy Matthews, head of Panda’s sub-Saharan operations. “More significantly, this detection power has no impact on users’ computers, as scanning and the classification of malware takes place in the cloud.”

Andreas Marx, CEO of AV-Test.org adds “At AV-Test.org, we have tested all products with all update functionality and ‘in the cloud’ protection enabled, so no product updates were frozen. This way, the products had to demonstrate their ‘real world’ capabilities using all components and protection layers in realistic test scenarios”.

Marx also spoke about the performance of the Panda solution during the tests: “Panda Internet Security showed impressively high results for the static and dynamic detection of new malware. Not only was the protection against, and removal of, new malware very high, but at the same time Panda had less impact on the system from the usability point of view”.

More information about the full AV-Test results is available at http://av-test.org/ and http://research.pandasecurity.com/

To find out more about the Panda Retail 2011 lineup, launched in July, go to http://www.pandasecurity.com/homeusers/solutions/antivirus

• Does your computer talk to you? Can’t use the Internet? Have your files disappeared? You might be infected…

Users are often advised to use an antivirus to check if their systems are infected, but with the current cyber-crime scenario, this is simply not enough.

“It takes a least a basic grasp of security issues to work out if a computer is infected, and many first-time users have little or no idea” says Jeremy Matthews, head of Panda’s sub-Saharan operations. “However, while many of today’s threats are specifically designed to go undetected, there are still some tell-tale signs if a system has been compromised.”

Global IT vendor Panda Security has produced a simple guide to the 10 most common symptoms of infection, to help users identify if their systems are at risk:

1. My computer speaks to me: There are all types of pop-ups and messages on the desktop either advertising things, saying that the PC is infected and needs protection etc. This is a typical, surefire case of an infection. There is either spyware on the computer, or it has been infected by a fake antivirus also known as “rogueware”.

2. My computer is running extremely slowly: This could be a symptom of many things, including infection by a virus. If it has been infected by a virus, worm or Trojan, among other things, which are running on the computer, they could be running tasks that consume a lot of resources, making the system run more slowly than usual.

3. Applications won’t start: How many times have you tried to run an application from the start menu or desktop and nothing happens? Sometimes another program might even run. This could be another type of problem, but it’s a symptom that tells you that something is wrong.

4. I cannot connect to the Internet or it runs very slowly: Loss of Internet communication is another common symptom of infection, although it could also be due to a problem with your service provider or router. You might also have a connection that runs much more slowly than usual. If you have been infected, the malware could be connecting to a URL or opening separate connection sessions, thereby reducing your available bandwidth or making it impossible to use the Internet.

5. When I connect to the Internet, all types of windows open or the browser displays pages I have not requested: This is certain sign of infection. Many threats are designed to redirect traffic to certain websites against the user’s will, and can even spoof Web pages, making you think you are on a legitimate site when really you have been taken to a malicious imitation. 

6. Where have my files gone? Hopefully nobody will be asking this type of question, although there are still some threats around designed to delete or encrypt information and to move documents from one place to another. If you find yourself in this situation, get help as quickly as possible.

 7. My antivirus has disappeared, my firewall is disabled: Another typical characteristic of many threats is that they disable security systems (antivirus, firewall, etc.) installed on computers. Perhaps if one thing shuts down it might just be a specific software failure; but if all your security components are disabled, you are almost certainly infected.

 8. My computer is speaking a strange language: If the language of certain applications changes, the screen appears back-to-front or strange insects start ‘eating’ the desktop; it is likely that you have an infected system.

 9. Library files for running games, programs, etc. have disappeared from my computer: Once again, this could be a sign of infection, although it could also be down to incomplete or incorrect installation of programs.

10. My computer has gone mad… literally: If the computer starts acting on its own, you suddenly find your system has been sending emails without your knowledge, Internet sessions or applications open sporadically on their own, your system is probably compromised by malware.

Panda advises all users, who have identified with one or more of the scenarios above, to look for alternative security applications to the one (if any) they have installed. Users don’t need to uninstall their existing application; but can simply use a free, online antivirus such as Panda ActiveScan. Alternatively, they can install an antivirus that is compatible with other engines, such as Panda Cloud Antivirus, which is also free.

“Getting a second opinion on the health of your PC could save your data, your privacy and in many cases, your money”, concludes Matthews.

More information is available in the PandaLabs blog: http://www.pandalabs.com

For more information about Panda, visit http://www.pandasecurity.com/.

Global IT vendor Panda Security is releasing its new 2011 consumer product line, featuring faster performance, better protection and less resource impact than previous versions. Panda’s new retail solutions, available at the end of August, include: Panda Internet Security 2011, Panda Global Protection 2011, Panda Antivirus Pro 2011 and Panda Internet Security for Netbooks. New features include complete remote access to home PCs, file shredding of deleted programs and a secure browser, to name a few.

All of the 2011 consumer solutions benefit from Panda’s Collective Intelligence technology, which leverages the network of millions of global users, or the Power of Community, to deliver instantaneous protection against new and unknown threats. Using these solutions, consumers can browse the Internet, make purchases online, and chat and share photos/videos with complete confidence that Collective Intelligence and the Power of Community are providing proactive and real-time protection against the latest malware threats. In addition, PC resource consumption is minimal and the 2011 solutions boast a 50% improvement in performance on Windows 7 environments when compared to last year’s versions.

The products are designed specifically for highly active users with the most demanding protection needs, and include many new features, such as the option to manage home networks, or run the protection in gaming/multimedia mode, to avoid interruptions for gamers.

Similarly, the interfaces have been simplified and made more intuitive across all the products, and the top of the range solution includes a series of utilities to transparently safeguard the digital life of users:

• Remote access - Lets you access your home or work computer from anywhere and share files securely across the Web.
• Virtual browser (sandbox) - 100% secure, based on a network of virtual machines running under Linux and without persistent memory storage.
• Virtual keyboard – To prevent passwords and other sensitive data entered on keyboards from being stolen with keyloggers.
• File encryption -  Keeps files safe from snoopers
• Definitive data removal - Elimination of all traces of deleted files or programs.

The new solutions maintain the features that have positioned them as market-leading security suites: a powerful antivirus engine to protect against all types of known and unknown viruses; firewall with WiFi security to block intruders and hackers; Panda USB Vaccine, to protect USB devices; confidential information filters to keep personal data safe; backup copying, as well as a PC tune-up feature to optimize system performance.

Free trial versions will be available soon from: http://www.pandasecurity.com/Southafrica/homeusers/downloads/

For more information about Panda, visit http://www.pandasecurity.com/.

• Panda Security’s business solutions recognized for their superior ease of use, protection features and value.

Global IT vendor Panda Security announced that two of its solutions for small and medium sized businesses, Panda GateDefender Integra and Panda Security for Business v4.05, have been given 5-star product ratings by SC Magazine.

In its review, SC Magazine lauded Panda GateDefender Integra for its excellent price and protection functionality. The unified threat management (UTM) appliance provides businesses with centralised protection from all types of internet-borne threats, including firewall, intrusion prevention, anti-malware, content filtering, anti-spam and web filtering.

“With Panda GateDefender Integra, businesses can install and protect their corporate perimeters in minutes without the need for any user intervention”, says Jeremy Matthews, head of Panda’s sub-Saharan operations. “This makes it the only install and protect UTM solution on the market.”

SC Magazine also recognized Panda Security for Business, the company’s all-in-one security software suite, for its simple installation process, superior protection features and product documentation. SC noted that the product offers “lots of features and extensive support for different operating systems and devices.”

Panda Security for Business is also the only on-premise security solution for gateways, e-mail networks and endpoints that benefits from instantaneous and automated, cloud-driven malware protection while still retaining all in-house security controls.

The recent 5-star ratings follow a string of positive reviews of Panda’s corporate products. This includes a 4-star rating in by SC Magazine of Panda GateDefender Performa 9500, the company’s all-in-one appliance for high-performance web filtering and perimeter protection against Internet-borne malware and spam.

Like all Panda products, the Panda GateDefender line as well as Panda Security for Business, benefit from the company’s unique cloud-based Collective Intelligence database. Collective Intelligence draws from the knowledge and experience of millions of users to deliver the most comprehensive, instantaneous and non-intrusive protection against known and unknown malware.

For more information about Panda Security’s corporate solutions, please visit www.pandasecurity.com/enterprise/

Global IT Vendor Panda Security has launched version 5.04.50 of Panda Cloud Office Protection (PCOP), its cloud-based security solution for corporate endpoints.

“The new version includes a host of new features and improvements which provides companies with an even more effective solution for malware detection and prevention”, says Jeremy Matthews, head of Panda’s sub-Saharan operations.

One of the version’s top new features is its compatibility with Office 2010, as well as its ability to scan the email messages stored in Windows Live Mail. It also incorporates new technologies to prevent infections from unknown malware. These technologies are capable of blocking threats even if the user is offline at the time of detection (identification processes take place in the cloud), or if the malware strain is new. Automatic verdicts are also returned directly, indicating whether the file is malware or goodware.

The new PCOP also contains a small signature file that only includes data about the most active malware every day. These file updates are truly automatic and do not require administrator intervention to deploy and implement them on every workstation on the network.

Since Panda Security started selling its cloud-based security suites last year, the company has achieved growth ratios well above the market average. In 2009, the company’s worldwide growth in this market segment reached 122% (compared to 2008), accounting for 20% of the company’s corporate revenue. This outstanding growth reflects the many benefits that a cloud-based security solution provides to clients.

Panda Cloud Office Protection can be sold separately or as part of the Panda Cloud Protection suite. This new solution complements Panda Security’s cloud-based, SaaS security products covering the main infection vectors: endpoints and servers (Panda Cloud Office Protection); corporate email (Panda Cloud Email Protection) and Internet traffic (Panda Cloud Internet Protection).

For more information and a free product trial go to http://cloudprotection.pandasecurity.com.

For more information about Panda, visit http://www.pandasecurity.com/.

Panda  Security has found that malware designed to infect iPhones can also compromise the popular iPad.

Given the increasing popularity of Apple devices and their growing market share, malware designed specifically to target these platforms is beginning to attract more attention. Last year, Panda raised the alert about a worm, iPhone/Eeki, able to infect jailbroken iPhones (i.e. those that have been tampered with in order to install unofficial applications). The worm was also able to spread to iPod Touch.

Logically, all malware designed for iPhones will have the same ability to infect and spread to iPad devices. This is because the iPad and the iPhone share the same operating system, known as iPhone (v3), or iOS (v4) in the forthcoming version.

‘This doesn’t mean we’re about to face an avalanche of infections’, says Jeremy Matthews, head of Panda’s sub-Saharan operations. ‘However, we have always stated that as Apple takes more market share, cyber-crooks will begin to show more interest in targeting those that use this platform.’

Despite the fact that Apple decided to totally close off the hardware (making it impossible to install peripherals) and the software (all applications are installed from the manufacturer’s App Store) cyber-criminals have found a way to infect jailbroken devices with malware.

‘With more and more proof of Apple being targeted, we advise all Mac users to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations to increase security on their operating systems’ concludes Matthews.

Since 1990, Panda’s mission has been to detect and eliminate new threats as rapidly as possible in order to offer maximum security. To do so, PandaLabs has an innovative automated system that analyzes and classifies thousands of new samples a day and returns automatic verdicts (malware or goodware). This system is the basis of collective intelligence, Panda’s new security model which can even detect malware that has evaded other security solutions.

Currently, 99.4% of malware detected by Panda is analyzed through this system of collective intelligence. This is complemented by the work of several teams, each specialised in a specific type of malware (viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware, phishing, spam, etc).This translates into simple, secure and resource-friendly solutions for users.

For more information, visit http://www.pandasecurity.com/.

Panda evangelist Sean-Paul Correll has created a video that explains how banking Trojans work. He writes on the PandaLabs blog:

Banking Trojans are one of the most prevalent Malware species in the threat landscape today.  Malware authors aim to keep infections live and undetected long enough so that they can get what they are really after: money. Financial motivations lead malware developers to craft the stealthiest banking Trojans to steal personal and financial data for further exploitation on the black market.  Day after day innocent victims are hacked with the end result being an emptied out bank account. This video demonstrates how dangerous and stealthy banking Trojans can be and why we must continue to raise awareness on the issue.

Watch the video below:

Live Demo: Banking Trojan from Panda Security on Vimeo.