A recent press release reports, “Acronis, a global leader in cyber protection and hybrid cloud storage currently celebrating its 15-year anniversary, today announced its machine learning-based malware detection engine, Acronis PE Analyzer, is now integrated into VirusTotal. A subsidiary of Google, VirusTotal is a free online service that examines suspicious files and URLs to facilitate the quick detection of viruses, worms, trojans, and other kinds of malicious content. The latest addition to Acronis’ growing catalog of artificial intelligence-based anti-malware capabilities, the Acronis PE Analyzer engine is capable of detecting any kind of Windows PE malware using innovative machine learning models. Executable-based malware is still a leading threat to Windows operating systems, as security vendors worldwide report it is growing steadily year over year. Anti-virus testing laboratories, like AV-TEST, register around 400,000 new malware samples a day, including various trojans, backdoors, ransomware, and cryptojackers.”

The release continues, “Acronis’ machine learning model is based on a Gradient Boosting Decision Tree combined with several neural network models, which creates a file “portrait” of these threats based on various static characteristics. The ML-based detection model is very fast, as the model itself is small and effective at the same time. The ML model can work independently, without an internet connection, and provides a high detection rate over time without regular updating. Before joining VirusTotal, scanners must provide a certification or independent reviews from independent security laboratories that follow the testing standards set by the Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization (AMTSO). As an AMTSO member, Acronis sent the engine to AV-TEST, which confirmed Acronis PE Analyzer’s effectiveness at detecting PE malware, while generating minimal false positives.”

Read more at Newswire Today.

Image used under license from Shutterstock.com