Software Test: Panda Cloud Antivirus

Anyone who is not more interested in how the software works can now jump to three paragraphs.

Even with the first version, the developers revealed how the software works. When Panda first encounters an executable file, it creates a partial cryptographic hash function. The local program sends this file to the gigantic central server that stores multiple TB of data, from where the result arrives quickly. The file can be classified as malware, safe, unknown.

What happens if the feedback is unknown? The local client sends additional information about the behavior of the program in question. Obviously, he can do this because he is able to examine and analyze the internal structure of the data. These data elements get into the cloud, which takes some time, but the central server can then perform lightning-fast analysis.  

It seems clear that this procedure eliminates the loops involved in updating the local virus definition database, as it is perfectly sufficient to just smart the central server. 

We saw the time had come to deploy the EICAR test virus. As a burden, we downloaded the virus via a compressed SSL connection, and it was also packaged in a zip file. Panda neutralized the malware without user intervention, which it immediately quarantined - let’s start to feel like we’ve really found the best clone of MSE. It’s actually a mandatory routine, but it was good to see how Panda responds to the threat.