Since a few months ago we've started participating in a new AV comparative test from PC Security Labs called Total Protection Testing. It's a pretty kewl test since, as opposed to other AV comparatives out there, PC Security Labs has a very interesting testing methodology that takes into consideration:
- Freshness of malware samples. Only the newest samples from the previous month are tested, not year old samples.
- Static detection using traditional signature files, very similar to what other AV comparative testers are doing.
- Dynamic (behavioral) detection of malicious running processes. Only a handful of professional AV testers are doing this.
- Cloud-based detection such as Panda's Collective Intelligence. As far as I know PCSL is the first AV tester with a methodology that takes this type of technology into account.
- False positive testing. Global scores are lowered on each false positive.
All-in-all a very complete testing methodology that gives a broad view of the global performance of different anti-malware solutions. It's no surprise that PC SecurityLabs has recently joined the AntiMalware Testing Standards Organization (AMTSO).
I'm glad to report that Panda has achieved an "Excellent" score in each of the three tests we've participated in so far.
Total Protection Testing reports from PCSL can be downloaded directly from the following locations:
- PC SecurityLabs Total Protection Testing 2008/11
- PC SecurityLabs Total Protection Testing 2008/12
- PC SecurityLabs Total Protection Testing 2009/01
The tests are performed on a monthly basis, so make sure to visit PC Security Labs every now and then to get the latest results!