Security software reviews doubted

An organisation has been formed to standardise the methodologies used to review the effectiveness of anti-malware solutions.

The Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organisation (AMTSO) is calling for better real-world testing of security software products to ensure that people buying the programs know exactly what they can and can't protect against.

It has drawn up a charter at a meeting in Bilbao, and its members include Microsoft, Sophos, Panda Security and Symantec.

AMTSO aims to deal with concerns that many in the security software industry have about the effectiveness of many product reviews, which can give consumers a false impression of a product's capabilities.

Pedro Bustamante of Panda Security explained the problems that the organisation aimed to overcome.

"The current internet threat panorama requires the use of new technologies to provide adequate protection for IT systems. However, existing tests only evaluate certain aspects of the various security solutions available," he said.

"For this reason, any users who simply go by the results of a test that doesn’t fully analyse each and every one of the capabilities of these solutions, will not have an objective perspective of whether a product is truly effective or not," Bustamante continued.

Stuart Taylor of Sophos said that the organisation's objectives would benefit all surfers in the long run.

"One of AMTSO's objectives is help drive better real-world tests for everyone, which will benefit all computer users looking for the highest level of protection."

www.amtso.org