Sunbelt Formalizes Ties With Stopbadware

Windows security software maker Sunbelt has signed on to play a more active role in the Harvard-based Stopbadware.org effort, which already boasts some powerful friendships in the form of its work filtering Web search results with Google — in addition to being backed by Harvard Law School, Oxford University and Consumer Reports WebWatch.

The nonprofit anti-malware, adware and spam project, which is also aligned with Mozilla, PayPal and Trend Micro, announced that Sunbelt specifically agreed to be one of its data partners and contribute its own threat assessment intelligence to the Stopbadware Clearinghouse, which aims to catalogue as many threats as possible.

Stopbadware Manager Maxim Weinstein was quick to point out in his blog that Sunbelt Software Director of Malware Research, Eric Howes, has served as an advisor to the effort since it’s early days.

However, the new pact marks the first time that Sunbelt has officially committed to participating in the project.

Sunbelt will provide research data collected via its ThreatTrack malware and URL filtering feeds.

“Sunbelt Software has always encouraged a collaborative approach to addressing the malware problem,” Howes said in a statement.

“We are pleased to formalize our ongoing relationship with StopBadware and support the important work it does in educating the public and the industry,” he said.

Spurred by the agreement, StopBadware launched a new report interface integrating the new Sunbelt Software data to its searchable Badware Website Clearinghouse, which is made availble to other security researchers, law enforcement officials and Web site owners.

Matt Hines has been following the IT industry for over a decade as a reporter and blogger, and has been specifically focused on the security space since 2003, including a previous stint writing for eWeek and contributing to the Security Watch blog. Hines is currently employed as marketing communications manager at Core Security Technologies, a Boston-based maker of security testing software. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of Core Security, and neither the company, nor its products and services will be actively discussed in the blog. Please send news, research or tips to SecurityWatchBlog@gmail.com.