AVIEN is nominally an acronym for Anti-Virus Information Exchange Network, although that expansion is rarely used.
The group arose out of discussions following a presentation by Robert S. Vibert [1] at a Virus Bulletin Conference in 2000 [2] when antivirus specialists from companies including Nortel, Boeing and Prudential decided to implement a forum where they could freely share information concerning AV companies, products, and upcoming malware, including an email-based Early Warning System. [3]
Initially, members of AVIEN were individuals responsible for the security of organizations with a minimum of 1,500 PCs in their care, and excluded antivirus vendors [4] but in 2002 a companion organization AVIEWS (Anti-Virus Information and Early Warning System) was formed which included all members of AVIEN [5] but also encouraged the participation of security vendors and other interested parties.
In 2007, Syngress published the AVIEN Malware Defense Guide for the Enterprise with contributions by members of AVIEN and AVIEWS. [6]
The two organizations merged in 2008 under the leadership of Andrew Lee (CEO) and David Harley (COO). [1] In 2011, following his taking up the role of CEO at ESET, Lee announced that he was leaving the running of AVIEN to David Harley, signing himself "(former) AVIEN CEO". [7]
By 2012 the organization had declined to a low-traffic mailing list, a rarely updated web site, and occasional additions to the blog, [8] including resource pages on security topics such as tech support scams [9] and ransomware. [10] Since David Harley's near-complete withdrawal from the security industry in 2019 [11] little has been heard from the AVIEN community, or is expected to be heard.
Malware is any software intentionally designed to cause disruption to a computer, server, client, or computer network, leak private information, gain unauthorized access to information or systems, deprive access to information, or which unknowingly interferes with the user's computer security and privacy. Researchers tend to classify malware into one or more sub-types.
In computing terminology, a macro virus is a virus that is written in a macro language: a programming language which is embedded inside a software application. Some applications, such as Microsoft Office, Excel, PowerPoint allow macro programs to be embedded in documents such that the macros are run automatically when the document is opened, and this provides a distinct mechanism by which malicious computer instructions can spread. This is one reason it can be dangerous to open unexpected attachments in e-mails. Many antivirus programs can detect macro viruses; however, the macro virus' behavior can still be difficult to detect.
Antivirus software, also known as anti-malware, is a computer program used to prevent, detect, and remove malware.
ESET, s.r.o., is a software company specializing in cybersecurity. ESET's security products are made in Europe and provide security software in over 200 countries and territories worldwide. Its software is localized into more than 30 languages.
Scareware is a form of malware which uses social engineering to cause shock, anxiety, or the perception of a threat in order to manipulate users into buying unwanted software. Scareware is part of a class of malicious software that includes rogue security software, ransomware and other scam software that tricks users into believing their computer is infected with a virus, then suggests that they download and pay for fake antivirus software to remove it. Usually the virus is fictional and the software is non-functional or malware itself. According to the Anti-Phishing Working Group, the number of scareware packages in circulation rose from 2,850 to 9,287 in the second half of 2008. In the first half of 2009, the APWG identified a 585% increase in scareware programs.
Panda Security is a Spanish cybersecurity software company. Panda Security's core offering is an antivirus software and more recently has expanded into providing and developing cybersecurity software. This includes security products and services for both businesses and home users, as well as protection tools for systems, networks, emails, and other private information. Panda Security employs around 458 people.
CARO is an organization that was established in 1990 to research and study malware.
Rogue security software is a form of malicious software and internet fraud that misleads users into believing there is a virus on their computer and aims to convince them to pay for a fake malware removal tool that actually installs malware on their computer. It is a form of scareware that manipulates users through fear, and a form of ransomware. Rogue security software has been a serious security threat in desktop computing since 2008. An early example that gained infamy was SpySheriff and its clones, such as Nava Shield.
Kaspersky Anti-Virus is a proprietary antivirus program developed by Kaspersky Lab. It is designed to protect users from malware and is primarily designed for computers running Microsoft Windows and macOS, although a version for Linux is available for business consumers.
Webroot Inc. is an American privately-held cybersecurity software company that provides Internet security for consumers and businesses. The company was founded in Boulder, Colorado, US, and is now headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, and has US operations in San Mateo and San Diego, and globally in Australia, Austria, Ireland, Japan and the United Kingdom.
Bitdefender is a Romanian cybersecurity technology company headquartered in Bucharest, Romania, with offices in the United States, Europe, Australia and the Middle East.
VirusTotal is a website created by the Spanish security company Hispasec Sistemas. Launched in June 2004, it was acquired by Google in September 2012. The company's ownership switched in January 2018 to Chronicle, a subsidiary of Google.
Malwarebytes Inc. is an American Internet security company that specializes in protecting home computers, smartphones, and companies from malware and other threats. It has offices in Santa Clara, California; Clearwater, Florida; Tallinn, Estonia; Bastia Umbra, Italy; and Cork, Ireland.
Kaspersky Lab is a Russian multinational cybersecurity and anti-virus provider headquartered in Moscow, Russia, and operated by a holding company in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1997 by Eugene Kaspersky, Natalya Kaspersky and Alexey De-Monderik. Kaspersky Lab develops and sells antivirus, internet security, password management, endpoint security, and other cybersecurity products and services.
Dr.Web is a software suite developed by Russian anti-malware company Doctor Web. First released in 1992, it became the first anti-virus service in Russia.
Zeus is a Trojan horse malware package that runs on versions of Microsoft Windows. It is often used to steal banking information by man-in-the-browser keystroke logging and form grabbing. Zeus is spread mainly through drive-by downloads and phishing schemes. First identified in July 2007 when it was used to steal information from the United States Department of Transportation, it became more widespread in March 2009. In June 2009 security company Prevx discovered that Zeus had compromised over 74,000 FTP accounts on websites of such companies as the Bank of America, NASA, Monster.com, ABC, Oracle, Play.com, Cisco, Amazon, and BusinessWeek. Similarly to Koobface, Zeus has also been used to trick victims of technical support scams into giving the scam artists money through pop-up messages that claim the user has a virus, when in reality they might have no viruses at all. The scammers may use programs such as Command prompt or Event viewer to make the user believe that their computer is infected.
David Harley is an IT security researcher, author/editor and consultant living in the United Kingdom, known for his books on and research into malware, Mac security, anti-malware product testing and management of email abuse.
Eddy Willems, is a Belgian computer security expert and author of security blogs and books, active in international computer security organizations and as a speaker at information security-related events.
AV-TEST is an independent organization which evaluates and rates antivirus and security suite software for Microsoft Windows, macOS and Android operating systems, according to a variety of criteria. The organisation is based in Magdeburg, Germany.
Emsisoft Ltd. is a New Zealand-based anti-virus software distributed company. They are notable for decrypting ransomware attacks to restore data.