Malware Research Group started conducting quick tests in Q3 of this year, using single zero day / early life malware samples. Of course individual tests were not presented as efficacy assessments of the security applications being tested, but would serve to give some representation of performance when looked at over time. An overall number of 22 security programs has been tested this way.

The tests were based on a Windows 7 32 Ultimate virtual machine with all updates, of course every single application got its own VM. Samples came directly from MRG honeypots and were then uploaded to a certain URL so that it could be downloaded to the VM by using Internet Explorer.

The final results:

Once again Emsisoft Anti-Malware was able to proof its great detection rate together with Defense Wall V3. It is very interesting that well established programs like Kaspersky Antivirus 2011, AVG Antivirus or Avira Antivir Premium show strong weaknesses in detecting current threats. You can find the complete test here.

Already in August we reported on the first VB100 award ever given to Emsisoft Anti-Malware 5.0. Now in December the tool received the famous award once again – in contrast to some other well known vendors. This time Windows 7 as operating system was focused.

Virus Bulletin tests all kinds of anti virus programs multiple times a year as a neutral authority. The probands have to detect unexceptional all samples of a wild list and may not give a single false alert while scanning about 400.000 normal files. Therefore the VB100 Award is a decoration that is very hard to obtain and so only a few first-class security tools receive it.