Google acquire VirusTotal

Google have been placing some of their focus lately into improving security credentials and this weekend it was announced that they had acquired VirusTotal, a company who provide a free service to analyse suspicious files and URL's. It can detect viruses, worms, trojans and other malware.

The announcement was made via a VirusTotal blog post which detailed that the company was pleased with the takeover deal.

They said “We’re delighted that Google, a long-time partner, has acquired VirusTotal. This is great news for you, and bad news for malware generators, because: The quality and power of our malware research tools will keep improving, most likely faster; and Google’s infrastructure will ensure that our tools are always ready, right when you need them. This is an exciting step forward. Google has a long track record working to keep people safe online and we look forward to fighting the good fight together with them.”

VirusTotal will continue to operate independently and will maintain their partnerships with other antivirus companies and security sources. The VirusTotal platform is designed to pull resources from other antivirus clients and scanners. The malware signatures of VirusTotal are updated as they are released by antivirus companies across the board.

The company have also released a series of desktop applications and tools to talk directly to the main service online, including browser extensions. Virustool users can also develop their own applications and share them with others over the internet.

PC Magazine managed to get a statement from Google over the deal. They said “VirusTotal also has a strong track record in Web security, and we're delighted to be able to provide them with the infrastructure they need to ensure that their service continues to improve.”

Kitguru says: Good news for everyone, we think.

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