[OPLINTECH] ClamAV for windows

[Chad Neeper]

I haven't installed ClamAV for Windows or Immunet's free offering yet, 
but I do plan to eval it soon. It looks like Immunet is 
providing/funding the cloud and that ClamAV is making use of it with 
Immunet's cooperation/permission.

"Immunet placed ClamAV into their Cloud infrastructure alongside their 
Ethos detection engine, and several other detection technologies. By 
combining all these technologies, and utilizing the power of 
community-based detection, we feel we have the most effective Anti-Virus 
technology on the market. And it only gets better with every user that 
installs and utilizes our technology." - 
http://www.clamav.net/lang/en/about/win32

I understand the why:  Immunet benefits from ClamAV's scanning engine 
being a part of their cloud...It improves their own AV capabilities. I 
know that $2M in venture capital invested in Immunet is funding the 
cloud <http://www.immunet.com/pressreleases?id=9>. Immunet also has 
provided their own free cloud-based AV product (Immunet Protect). What I 
haven't figured out yet is how Immunet plans to make money. I'd have to 
assume that at some point, they are going to either take away the free 
product and replace it with a subscription-based version, or offer a 
paid-for "enhanced version" (perhaps enterprise-level reporting and 
management features?). Either way, though, I'd guess that as long as the 
company survives, then the partnering with ClamAV will persist and be a 
good thing.

I'd heard rumors of a cloud-based AV in the last year or so. I didn't 
really understand how it works, but I'm starting to, I think. I bet it 
was Immunet I had heard about.

Very promising.

Chad

-----------------------
Chad Neeper
Senior Systems Engineer

Level 9 Networks
740-548-8070 (voice)
866-214-6607 (fax)

--   Full LAN/WAN consulting services   --
-- Specialized in libraries and schools --



Nathan Eady wrote:
> Interesting.  
>
> Up to now Clam has made a name for itself mostly in server-side email
> scanning.  It has a generally positive reputation for that, but AFAIK
> it hasn't seen a lot of uptake elsewise.
>
> This appears to be aimed at a somewhat broader usage profile.
>
> However, the wording regarding how "the cloud" is used does bother me
> somewhat, both for its vagueness and also because some of the claims
> light up "too good to be true" warning indicators in my brain.  
>
> If the service is free, what's paying for cloud servers?  Or is it all
> peer-to-peer, in which case, how does this reduce the load on your
> computer?  The "Collective Immunity" thing doesn't make a whole lot of
> technical sense to me either: how does locating and neutralizing one
> instance of a given piece of malware automatically protect other
> computers from it?  Wouldn't they still all continue to need to be
> scanned for the thing, just the same as before?  
>
> Before drawing any conclusions, I'd want to see a somewhat more
> information-dense description of how using "the cloud" for AV scanning
> improves the process.
>
>   
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