Cyber Security Industry Faces Major Flaw
The cyber security industry is facing some major issues, as cyber threats continue to grow at exponential rates. One of the biggest issues the industry is facing is the lack of emphasis on malware detection. Considering the concept of cyber security is to keep user data safe from malware threats, it should not be unrealistic to base your anti-virus (AV) protection based on just that — malware detection.
Unfortunately that is not being done by a vast majority of AV consumers. Why? Primarily because security solutions are choosing not to participate in independent third party testing. If they do not participate, their malware detection rates are not available.
Virus Bulletin Detection Testing
A third party testing agency, Virus Bulletin, provides a free Reactive and Proactive (RAP) test that several security companies participate in. The most recent results from their December 2016 testing can be seen below. You may also read the full report here.
How did your security solution rate? If your AV provider is not here, the vendor declined to participate, and you can draw your own conclusions about why.
Anti-Virus Protection and Automobiles
Think about automobile industry for a minute. This industry focuses on crash test and miles-per-gallon (MPG) ratings. Without these tests, we wouldn’t know how safe and economical our vehicles are. Would you buy a car if the manufacturer chose not to participate in crash testing? Or what if they refused to reveal their MPGs? You likely would not buy that particular vehicle, and look for an alternative that did have these test results available. As a consumer, we want to be sure we are making a reliable purchase. Why would this same concept not apply in a security solution?
The entire purpose of buying AV protection is to keep your information secure by protecting it from malware threats. But how can you possibly make an informed decision when vendors are choosing not to participate in testing that allows you to make an sound purchase?
Time For Change
It is time for a change in the cyber security industry. The only way that change can occur is for consumers to start making their AV purchases base on malware detection rates. Once this starts occurring, vendors who do not participate in testing will see the value in doing so. Once solutions are tested, and weaknesses are exposed, they can do better. It again, is no different than other industries.
When consumers focus their purchasing habits on what is most important, in this case — information security, other providers will follow suit.
