Webroot has revamped its security suite with features designed to analyze malware in real time in the cloud to speed up scanning.
Aiming to protect users
across multiple machines and mobile devices, Webroot has revamped its entire
security suite.
All PCs and mobile devices
including tablets and smartphones can be protected using a single Web interface
and installing lightweight agents on each device, Webroot said Oct. 4.
The appearance of advanced
malware and online threats means users can't just install and regularly update
a security product on the PC and expect to be protected. Users are doing more
online, using multiple devices and connecting with others on various social
platforms. The security protection needs to expand to include the entire
ecosystem the user interacts with, according to Webroot.
"To beat cyber-crime
today, it's all about speed," said Mike Malloy, executive vice president
of products and strategy.
Webroot overhauled its
security suite, which includes Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus, WebrootSecureAnywhere
Essentials and Webroot SecureAnywhere Complete. The changes aren't just
cosmetic, as the company rewrote the software from the ground up and packed in
new cloud-based features and included mobile applications for users on the go.
Webroot incorporated
technology that came with recent acquisitions into the revamped suite.
Technology from Usable Security that handled identity management and password
management are now in SecureAnywhere Complete. Domain and IP address
classification, reputation and scoring capabilities from BrightCloud are part
of the suite. The core of SecureAnywhere is based on the technology acquired
from Prevx in November 2010. Most of Webroot's password services have been
licensed from the password management experts at LastPass.
Webroot decided the best way
to keep users safe was to take advantage of the world's largest collection of
malware, Malloy told eWEEK. There was
no need for the security program to bring down the entire virus database and
store it locally on the user machine. The client could be
"ultra-small" and connect to the database remotely when needed,
according to Malloy.
The security software
installed on the protected device analyzes the file that it has detected and
sends a hash of the file to the cloud service, Malloy said. The cloud service
takes the hash and compares it against its database, and if it is recognized as
safe, the "all-clear" is sent back to the software to indicate it is
not malicious. If the cloud service doesn't recognize the file, it sandboxes
the file sample and unpacks or executes it. Based on the observed behavior, the
cloud service then either flags the file sample as either recognized or
malicious, Malloy said.
Webroot designed the
software to analyze every file that ever tries to run on the computer or mobile
device. Recognized files, such as operating system files, will be easily
detected and flagged as safe. But because it analyzes each file's hash, if the
malware is masquerading as an operating system executable or a DLL file, the
scanner would not be fooled because the hash would be different, according to
Malloy.
Once the file has been analyzed,
the description and the new hash is stored in the cloud and the next time one
of the Webroot-protected systems come across this file, the database can skip
the second layer of analysis.
"Real-time protection
against malicious URLs and Web domains changes the game; we're warning users
and IT administrators about a malicious site before anyone using our service
can connect with it, and every second counts," Malloy said.
The suite can range from
basic malware protection for one PC to protecting up to three PCs and three
mobile devices. Webroot SecureAnywhere Essentials costs $59.95 and offers 2GB
of online storage, file shredder, firewall and browsing tracks wiper. The basic
Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus is priced at $39.95 and offers a malware scanner,
prevents browsers from loading harmful Websites and locks down settings so that
malware can't change them.
The premium version, Webroot
SecureAnywhere Complete, retails for $79.95 and offers 10GB of online storage,
password synchronization capabilities, Android and iOS applications to manage
mobile devices, the ability to sync between mobile systems and desktop
computers, a password generator, online shopping and banking protection and
automatic log-in.
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