Tag Archives: News

Panda Security ensures security of all applications running on endpoints

Panda Security, The Cloud Security Company, today announced the launch of Panda Advanced Protection Service (PAPS), a new managed service for monitoring applications which uses a disruptive approach as opposed to the traditional system of detecting malware based on blacklists.

Designed for key accounts, Panda Advanced Protection Service proposes a new technological approach where every program that is run is automatically classified with maximum confidence. The solution identifies vulnerable applications, detects and blocks exploits against trusted applications, controls data access and provides complete traceability of all actions carried out on the system. PAPS neutralizes all malware that may have evaded detection by other security solutions as it classifies 100 percent of all executable files that attempt to run on protected endpoints. As malware creation grows unabated, endpoint security continues to be a problem for companies and a business opportunity for cyber-criminals.

PAPS classifies everything that attempts to run

Current endpoint security solutions are focused on integrating a growing number of detection technologies which, despite being increasingly sophisticated, are bypassed by malware writers in increasingly shorter times.

Diego Navarrete, CEO Panda Security

Diego Navarrete, CEO Panda Security

“In this context, Panda Security proposes a disruptive approach in which everything that attempts to run is classified with maximum confidence. This is a revolutionary step forward from a security model almost entirely based on detection techniques aimed at identifying malicious or suspicious items, to an approach aimed at classifying and securing everything that is run, even if no alert is triggered by the detection algorithms. With Panda Advanced Protection Service (PAPS), Panda Security presents a service that virtually eliminates the likelihood of malware going undetected. It classifies everything that attempts to run, continuously monitoring all actions performed by applications to prevent vulnerability exploits targeting trusted applications”, explained Diego Navarrete, CEO at Panda Security.

“In short, Panda Advanced Protection Service provides continuous classification and monitoring of all application activity on endpoints, allowing for complete traceability. As far as we know, no other security software vendor has a similar offering”, explained Josu Franco, VP Corporate Development at Panda Security.Adapted to customer needs

One important aspect that differentiates PAPS is that it is a service that adapts to the specific needs of each customer, profiling applications and behavior and identifying new attack patterns. “More than 20 years of experience in malware detection, together with the accumulated knowledge of our Collective Intelligence system, has enabled us to identify over 1,200 million application components and classify them as malware or goodware. This, along with the use of behavioral analysis, allows us to accurately predict the reliability of any applications running on endpoints”, concluded Panda Security’s VP Corporate Development.

Panda Security rewards Beta Tester of the Year with up to €600

Panda Security,The Cloud Security Company, today announced the beta release of Panda Global Protection 2015, its comprehensive anti-malware solution for protecting the information and digital life of home computer users. The new version has more features and is lighter, more secure and more complete than ever before.

This year, everything is new   

Panda Global Protection 2015 Beta is the most comprehensive solution in Panda Security’s new retail product line, and includes key improvements from the product’s 2014 version:

  • New, more straightforward interface.
  • New technological platform that harnesses the power of Panda’s cloud.
  • Wi-Fi protection thanks to its firewall and intrusion detection system.
  • Parental controls to monitor kids’ browsing habits, giving them the freedom they need with the protection that parents demand.
  • Data Shield module to keep confidential documents safe from viruses designed to steal or hijack them.
  • New Tuneup module to keep users’ computers clean and tidy. Users won’t see the difference, but they will notice it.

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Beta Tester Challenge: exclusive prizes for the community

Along with the release of the beta, Panda Security also announced the launch of a competition with exclusive prizes to reward its beta testers:€ 600 for the ‘beta tester of the year’, 9 prizes of € 200, and 250 one-year subscriptions to Panda Global Protection 2015 (for 3 devices).

“Beta versions help us ensure our products include every feature demanded by our user community and everything works as requested. Users’ opinions are key to making our products even better, so we listen to and interact with them to make sure our solutions are perfectly suited to their needs”, explained Hervé Lambert, Retail Product Marketing Manager at Panda Security.

“This year’s version has been developed from scratch. Everything is new, and we can safely say that Panda Global Protection 2015 is lighter, more secure and more complete than ever before. In a word, it is clearly better. This is our opinion, and we expect our beta testers to confirm it”, concluded Lambert.

Beta testers who want to submit suggestions, questions and comments to Panda Security can do so through the company’s Beta Forum or via the following email address: [email protected].

 

 

Panda Security launches Panda GateDefender eSeries 5.5, now with Application Control

Panda Security, The Cloud Security Company, today announced the inclusion of new and enhanced features in version 5.50 of Panda GateDefender eSeries, the company’s unified perimeter security device that protects against all types of threats. The new version includes a new, improved configuration wizard, next-generation VPN technologies, a new firewall for application control and real-time monitoring of corporate networks.
Panda GateDefender eSeries enables mid-size and large companies to protect their corporate network and increase their productivity, and is available in three different versions -hardware, software and virtual- to suit the needs of every type of organization. In addition, its Web interface allows centralized and flexible management from a single console, accessible from the cloud at any time.

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New Features
Panda GateDefender eSeries 5.50 includes robust, next-generation VPN technologies that enable very fast and highly scalable VPN connections, while managing granular access permissions to the network. Additionally, the solution includes a new application control feature capable of identifying and blocking more than 170 applications including Facebook, Skype, Spotify or WhatsApp to improve productivity. Also, the new Panda GateDefender eSeries includes an improved configuration wizard with a new network mode that allows the use of outgoing firewalls and application control in bridge mode.
The solution also allows real-time monitoring of corporate networks through an intuitive interface that enables organizations to generate extremely granular, customized reports.
These new features add to the many benefits already provided by the solution:
– Flexible, cloud-based management to centrally monitor, manage and update appliances quickly and easily, anywhere, anytime.
– Increased user productivity and optimized resource usage thanks to spam neutralization, restricted access to unproductive content and services, and bandwidth usage control.
– Complete protection against all types of infections and intrusion attempts right from the start. Faster response to new malware threats via automatic updates and queries to the cloud.
– High Internet availability. Its routing policies allow configuration of multiple high-availability lines, as well as installation of multiple appliances in parallel to deliver fault-tolerant, secure connectivity.
– Flexible, seamless integration with existing IT infrastructures thanks to the wide range of available versions: hardware, virtual and software appliances.

Malware creation breaks all records in the first quarter of 2014, with 160,000 new samples every day

Panda Security, The Cloud Security Company, has announced the latest findings of the PandaLabs quarterly report for Q1 2014. The main conclusions of the study include the fact that malware creation has broken all records during this period, with a figure of more than 15 million new samples, and more than 160,000 new samples appearing every day.

Trojans are still the most abundant type of new malware, accounting for 71.85% of new samples created during Q1. Similarly, infections by Trojans were once again the most common type of infection over this period, representing 79.90% of all cases.

In the area of mobile devices, there have been increasing attacks on Android environments. Many of these involve subscribing users to premium-rate SMS services without their knowledge, both through Google Play as well as ads on Facebook, using WhatsApp as bait.

Along these lines, social networks are still a favorite stalking ground for cyber-criminals, The Syrian Electronic Army group, for example, compromised accounts on Twitter and Facebook, and tried to gain control of the facebook.com domain in an attack that was foiled in time by MarkMonitor.

During the first three months of the year we have witnessed some of the biggest data thefts since the creation of the Internet, and as expected, Cryptolocker, the malicious file-encrypting ransomware which demands a ransom to unblock files, has continued to claim victims.

“Over these months, levels of cyber-crime have continued to rise. In fact, we have witnessed some of the biggest data thefts since the creation of the Internet, with millions of users affected”, explains Luis Corrons, Technical Director of PandaLabs in Panda Security.

 

Trojans, the malware of choice for hackers

So far in 2014, Trojans are still the malware most commonly used by cyber-criminals to infect users. According to data from PandaLabs, four out of five infections around the world were caused by Trojans, that’s 79.90% of the total. Viruses are in second place, accounting for 6.71% of infections, followed by worms, with a ratio of 6.06%.

 

Trojans, the most frequently created malware

Trojans also top the ranking of newly created malware, accounting for 71.85% of the total, followed by worms, at 12.25%, and viruses at 10.45%.

 

Infections by country

The global infection rate during the first three months of 2014 was 32.77%. China is once again the country with most infections, with a rate of 52.36%, followed by Turkey (43.59%) and Peru (42.14%). Although Spain is not in the top ten of this ranking, it is still above the global average with 33,57%.

European countries ranked high among the least infected countries, with the best figures coming from Sweden (21.03%), Norway (21.14%), Germany (24.18%) and Japan, which with a ratio of 24.21%, was the only non-European country in the top ten of this list.

The full report is available here.

Panda Security launches Panda Cloud Antivirus 3.0, more intuitive, lighter and safer than ever before

Panda Security, The Cloud Security Company, today announced the launch of a new version of its popular cloud-based free antivirus scanner Panda Cloud Antivirus, v3.0. The launch follows the successful release last February of the product’s 2.9 beta, which has already been downloaded more than 30,000 times by users from more than 130 countries.
Panda Cloud Antivirus 3.0 has, in both its free and Pro Edition versions, a completely new look and feel, much more modern and intuitive than ever before. Additionally, the solution provides significantly improved protection against new threats and exploits that take advantage of system vulnerabilities, as well as automatic USB vaccination, a feature which was previously restricted to Pro users only and is now available to all users.
Also, the solution includes a Rescue Kit extremely useful in emergency situations caused by malware infections, and a more powerful process monitor.

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New Features
The new Panda Cloud Antivirus provides the ability to run scheduled scans, a feature strongly demanded by the Panda Security community, and a new Panda Account, a personal area where users can download products, manage their services, obtain documentation, access technical support through a new support forum, and manage their Android devices provided they are protected with Panda Mobile Security.
In addition, users of the Pro version will be able to enjoy VIP support via a Web form and the technical support forum. The Pro version comes with a new Wi-Fi monitor module which enables users to display a list of all devices that are currently connected to their network and find out if there is someone stealing their Wi-Fi.
All these improvements make the new Panda Cloud Antivirus 3.0 lighter and more complete than ever. “We are constantly evolving our detection technologies to protect our customers against new and emerging threats while minimizing false positives. And our efforts are paying off, as shown by the excellent results obtained by Panda Cloud Antivirus in the latest AV-Test evaluation, where it ranked as the best free antivirus solution”, said Alberto Añón, Panda Cloud Antivirus Product Manager at Panda Security.

Top Ratings by AV-Test
The latest evaluation and certification report published by the prestigious IT security institute AV-Test rates Panda Cloud Antivirus as the best free antivirus solution. The product obtained top ratings in the protection (6/6) and ease of use (6/6) areas, without a single false positive.

Click here for more information about Panda Cloud Antivirus

Panda Security will continue to support and provide protection for Windows XP

Panda Security, The Cloud Security Company, today announced that its 2014 consumer solutions (Panda Global Protection 2014, Panda Internet Security 2014 and Panda Antivirus Pro 2014), as well as Panda Gold Protection and Panda Cloud Antivirus Pro, will continue to provide the same level of service to Windows XP users, despite the fact that Microsoft support for the operating system officially ended on April 8.

Microsoft launched Windows XP on October 25, 2001, and now, after almost 13 years, the Redmond company has decided to stop providing support for the popular platform. This means that users will no longer receive technical assistance, automatic security updates or fixes to help protect their PCs. However, as previously announced last January, Panda Security products will continue to support Windows XP systems for the foreseeable future.

“Windows XP’s end of life does not mean that computers will stop working from one day to the next. April 8 will be no more dangerous for Windows XP users than April 7. The only thing that’s going to happen is that, officially, Microsoft is no longer going to support XP and there will be no more updates”, explained Hervé Lambert, Retail Product Marketing Manager at Panda Security. “It is very important for us to keep our commitments to our customers. Therefore, users with a Panda Security product installed on their systems will continue to enjoy maximum protection for Windows XP”. 

Advice for Windows XP and Office 2003 users

Microsoft’s decision affects all Windows XP users worldwide. In this context, computers with Windows XP and Office 2003 will still work, but they might become more vulnerable to security risks.

“These vulnerabilities or security holes will leave an open door on computers, and these holes could lead to, say, a Web page infecting users’ computers simply when they visit it. This is something that happens at present, which is why we often remind users of the importance of applying all security updates, both to the operating system and to other software they have installed. However, from April 8, there will be no more updates for Windows XP and Office 2003, and consequently the risk of an attack will increase over time. It is a question of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’ new vulnerabilities will appear”, said Lambert.

Windows XP users who have a Panda Security 2014 consumer product installed on their  systems (Panda Global Protection 2014, Panda Internet Security 2014 and Panda Antivirus Pro 2014), as well as Panda Gold Protection or Panda Cloud Antivirus, will continue to enjoy the same level of protection on their computers.

“At Panda Security we advise users to upgrade to a newer version that offers greater security such as Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Mac OS X or GNU/Linux. There is no need to panic if you have Windows XP, though it is time to think seriously about whether you ought to migrate to a more current operating system and protect it with a robust security solution”, concluded Lambert.

Panda Cloud Systems Management Now Allows Management of Windows, Mac and Linux devices as well as tablets and smartphones

Panda Security, The Cloud Security Company, today announced the addition of significant enhancements and new features to Panda Cloud Systems Management (PCSM), its remote management and monitoring solution designed to help organizations manage, monitor and support all types of devices on their computer networks, both in the office and on the road.

The new features incorporated in Panda Cloud Systems Management include printer management via SNMP, which allows IT administrators to configure monitors and alerts to control printer status, track toner and paper usage, etc. This feature will extend to routers and switches in future releases.

Activity Log

The new version of Panda Cloud Systems Management also boasts a new activity log feature. Every action that takes place on users’ computers is logged in a report, giving administrators the ability to search, filter and export log data. This feature provides detailed, comprehensive visibility into network activity, so that administrators can see at any time which actions have been performed by each user and when.

Additionally, the solution provides additional security measures, such as two-factor authentication to access the PCSM Web console. “With this new feature it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to compromise user accounts”, said Manuel Santamaría, Product Manager Director at Panda Security.

Linux Device Management

The new version of Panda Cloud Systems Management adds Linux support to its cross-platform management capabilities. Panda Security understands that today’s enterprise environments consist of multiple operating systems and platforms, and helps IT administrators deal with this situation by offering them PCSM, a unified solution for managing Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and now Linux devices.

This feature is available for Linux computers running Ubuntu and Red Hat, and includes hardware and software inventory. Additionally, the solution supports remote access to network computers via a command line interface, and includes advanced system utilities such as Shell, Restart, Shutdown, File Transfer, Quick Jobs and Wake on LAN.

“The new features incorporated into PCSM deliver significant benefits to companies, easing IT management and reducing costs,” explained Santamaría. “With the launch of this new service, Panda Security reinforces its commitment to providing comprehensive solutions that reduce the complexity of security management. Thanks to Panda Cloud Systems Management, partners have an easy-to-use, centralized management tool that reduces maintenance time and costs, improves margins and revenue and provides added value for customers.”

More information about Panda Cloud Systems Management here.