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Cloud AV: Antivirus, Cloud Computing Style
Techtree News Staff, Aug 28, 2008 1740 hrs ISTCloud AV does not involve the installation of resource-hogging antivirus suites, and instead uses a cloud computing like approach and loads an antivirus functionality on to the network cloud.
Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a new computer antivirus system that marks a radical departure from the current trend followed by most antivirus solutions. While antivirus solutions of today are locally stored in individual systems, this new concept, for the first time brings a "cloud computing" like approach to PC virology. The typical work pattern of most modern antivirus software is to check and scan files as they are accessed. That, coupled with performance issues and incompatibility with multiple programs, ensures that most computers can use only one antivirus software at a time.
This is all set to change soon if this new solution is accepted industry-wide. To start with, this new concept, Cloud AV, does not involve the installation of resource-hogging antivirus suites. Instead, there is an antivirus functionality that is loaded on to the network cloud. This could be a closed network - like a corporate network or someday, the whole World Wide Web. All the user needs to do is to install a small software module.
Farnam Jahanian, Professor of Computer Science and Engineering in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science says, "Cloud AV virtualizes and parallelizes detection functionality with multiple antivirus engines, significantly increasing overall protection." According to the researchers, Cloud AV is capable of analyzing any file that tries to enter the network, in a parallel manner, as it can support a large number of software detectors. This is akin to having the option to check a single file with three or four antivirus applications, which is not possible now thanks to the incompatibilities and constraints related to system resources. Not only does this make things more secure, it is far less resource-consuming as the load is taken off the computer.
Currently, 12 software detectors work in tandem and "inform" the computer that the file indeed is safe to open. The researchers in the near future, also plan to cover handhelds and cell phones with the anti-malware "cloud".
Source ScienceDaily
This is all set to change soon if this new solution is accepted industry-wide. To start with, this new concept, Cloud AV, does not involve the installation of resource-hogging antivirus suites. Instead, there is an antivirus functionality that is loaded on to the network cloud. This could be a closed network - like a corporate network or someday, the whole World Wide Web. All the user needs to do is to install a small software module.
Farnam Jahanian, Professor of Computer Science and Engineering in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science says, "Cloud AV virtualizes and parallelizes detection functionality with multiple antivirus engines, significantly increasing overall protection." According to the researchers, Cloud AV is capable of analyzing any file that tries to enter the network, in a parallel manner, as it can support a large number of software detectors. This is akin to having the option to check a single file with three or four antivirus applications, which is not possible now thanks to the incompatibilities and constraints related to system resources. Not only does this make things more secure, it is far less resource-consuming as the load is taken off the computer.
Currently, 12 software detectors work in tandem and "inform" the computer that the file indeed is safe to open. The researchers in the near future, also plan to cover handhelds and cell phones with the anti-malware "cloud".
Source ScienceDaily
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nilesh
,pune, on May 25, 2009 05:25 PM
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