Bitdefender is an antivirus software suite developed by Romania-based software company Softwin. It was launched in November 2001,[1] and is currently in its 15th build version. The 2011 version was launched in August 2010, and it includes several protection and performance enhancements such as Search Advisor and Performance Optimizer. The 2013 version was launched in 25 June 2012.[2]
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer software |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Founder | Florin Talpeș |
| Headquarters | Bucharest, Romania |
Area served | Computer security |
Key people | Florin Talpeş (CEO) |
| Products | Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2013, Bitdefender Internet Security 2013, Bitdefender Total Security 2013. |
| Services | Security |
| Subsidiaries | USA, UK, Spain, Germany |
| Website | Bitdefender.com forum http://forum.bitdefender.com |
The Bitdefender products feature antivirus and antispyware, personal firewall, privacy control, user control and backup for corporate and home users. PC Tuneup and Performance Optimizer are available in the Total Security Suite.[3]
History
Bitdefender replaced SOFTWIN's earlier AVX [4] (AntiVirus eXpert) product range. Between 1996 and 2001 AVX became a product available worldwide that offered intelligent updating without user intervention and integrated an internal browser which scanned and monitored all downloaded files. AVX pioneered behavior-based application blocking technology and was also the first antivirus product to include personal firewall features. With the sixth generation of AVX, the product became the first antivirus package to include an application firewall as well as behavior-based blocking. The Bitdefender group spun off from SOFTWIN in 2007.
Bitdefender products
The Bitdefender range includes antivirus products for home users and businesses. Home editions support Microsoft Windows, Symbian OS, Windows Mobile and Mac OS X; business editions support Microsoft Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris and Mac OS X. The current version of the Home/Home Office security suite includes antivirus, anti-spyware, firewall, e-mail spam filtering, backup, tune-up and parental control components.[5] A free basic online scan is offered via the Bitdefender website. The Free version however does require free registration and is valid for 1 year after registration.
Bitdefender is designed to protect computers from viruses and spyware. Unlike the commercial version, the free tools only offer an on-demand virus scanning and doesn't provide real time scanning, and may therefore be less suitable for machines with a continuous connection to the internet.[6]
| Home/Home Office[7] | Business Solutions[8] | Free Tools[9] |
|---|---|---|
| Bitdefender Total Security 2013 | Business Solution Suites: | Bitdefender Online Scanner |
| Bitdefender Internet Security 2013 | Bitdefender Small Office Security (Clients and File Servers) | Bitdefender QuickScan |
| Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2013 | Bitdefender Business Security (Clients, File and Mail Servers) | Bitdefender Free Edition |
| Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac | Bitdefender SBS Security (Clients and All Windows Servers) | Bitdefender safego (Beta) |
| Bitdefender Mobile Security | Bitdefender Corporate Security (Clients and All Servers) | Bitdefender 4blogs |
| Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac & PC | Endpoint Protection and Management: | Bitdefender Trafficlight (Beta) |
| Bitdefender Antivirus Scanner for Unices | Bitdefender Client Security | Saf.li powered by Bitdefender (defunct) |
| Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac - Business Edition | ||
| Bitdefender Antivirus Scanner for Unices | ||
| Critical Server Protection: | ||
| Bitdefender Security for File Servers | ||
| Bitdefender Security for Samba | ||
| Bitdefender Security for SharePoint | ||
| Gateway Services Protection: | ||
| Bitdefender Security for Exchange | ||
| Bitdefender Security for Mail Servers | ||
| Bitdefender Security for ISA Servers |
Bitdefender Technologies
Bitdefender Antispam NeuNet
Bitdefender Antispam NeuNet,[10] short for Neural Network is an antispam filter pre-trained by the Bitdefender Antispam Lab on a series of spam messages, so that it learns to recognize new spam by perceiving its similarities with the messages it has already examined.
B-HAVE
In May 2006[11] Bitdefender introduced a new technology, B-HAVE (now patented), to reduce dependency on virus signatures through proactive detection of unknown threats. This technology is based on behavioral analysis in a virtualized environment.
To determine whether a program is malicious or not, this technology makes use of a virtual PC in which files are executed and analyzed. The virtual PC includes a set of virtual hardware devices, mimicking the configuration of a typical PC. B-HAVE checks for characteristics known to be associated with malware. A program may be deemed to be malicious if it attempts to modify certain files, read from or write to a sensitive area of the memory or create a file that is a product of a known virus. When attempting to use an un-trusted program, B-HAVE delays the launching until the program’s behavior and characteristics are analyzed and catalogued in the virtual environment. If no malicious actions are detected, B-HAVE starts the program normally; if a suspect conduct is present, B-HAVE automatically quarantines or deletes the application.[12]
Active Virus Control
Incorporated in the 2010 product suites, Bitdefender introduced another technology, Active Virus Control, in August 2009.[13]
it continuously monitors each program [14] (specific processes) running on the PC, as it executes, and it notes any malware-like actions. Each of these actions is scored and when a given threshold is reached, the process is reported as harmful. Unlike heuristic technologies that check executable files when they are accessed or first started, Active Virus Control monitors everything applications do as long as they are active. Because of this approach, Active Virus Control is considered a third layer of defense.
Independent tests
In reviews for Bitdefender, the home version of the suite was given the PC Answers editor's choice award in a comparative review in May 2007.[15] As of June 2007, Bitdefender had passed Virus Bulletin's VB100 independent tests 14 times out of 18 since first tested in 2002.[16] It also achieved an advanced certification from AV Comparatives for on-demand scanning,[17] and standard level certification for catching unknown viruses, though it was criticised for its slower scanning speed and higher instances of false positives.[18] The performance of Bitdefender's heuristic antivirus technology was measured using the detection rate of new and unknown viruses in a test conducted by Anti Malware Test.[19] In another test conducted by AV Comparatives in August 2009[20] to determine the antivirus software with high detection rates and the lowest false positives rating, Bitdefender received an Advanced+ Certification. In a test conducted by PCMag, BitDefender 2010, "detected 97 percent of all the threats and completely blocked installation for most of them".[21] It is also the least expensive of the top three antivirus solutions, as ranked by PC World.[22]
Auslogic
Auslogic sells a re-branded version of BitDefender 2010 under licence.[23]
Rubus
Rubus, an India based company, sell "Ozone Internet Security & Total Security", powered by Bitdefender under licence.
Support
Although being criticized in May 2009[24] as being unresponsive, support is available 24/7 on telephone, e-mail, Livechat and a knowledge base.[25]
Trojan.FakeAlert.5 problem
On March 20, 2010, computers running Bitdefender under 64 bit versions of Windows were affected by a malfunctioning update which classified every executable program as well as dll files as infected. These files were all marked as 'Trojan.FakeAlert.5' and were moved into quarantine. This action led to software and systems malfunctions that affected users around the world.[26]
Bitdefender representatives announced the removal of the faulty update and a workaround for the users affected,[27] except for those using the 2008 version.[28]
AutoCAD incompatibility
Autodesk's AutoCAD 2007, AutoCAD 2008, AutoCAD 2009, AutoCAD 2010, AutoCAD 2011, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 and AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011 (may include previous versions of AutoCAD or AutoCAD Civil 3D also) users may experience significant crosshair (cursor) jerking and lag while Bitdefender is installed.[29] Disabling all or any Bitdefender components does not correct the issue and to resolve it Bitdefender must be uninstalled. Autodesk advises users to uninstall and remove Bitdefender if the problem occurs.
Comodo Firewall incompatibility
As of version 2012 of Bitdefender, both programs cannot co-exist. There is however, a workaround which can be found elsewhere on the internet and at the Bitdefender forum: [1]
See also
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References
- ^ "BitDefender Product History".
- ^ "''BitDefender Total Security 2011''". Softpedia.com. 2010-08-15. Retrieved 2010-11-09.
- ^ "''Product Comparison Chart''". Bitdefender.com. Retrieved 2010-11-09.
- ^ by Softwin SRL, avx@softwin.ro. "Antivirus eXpert". Securityfocus.com. Retrieved 2010-11-09.
- ^ "PC Advisor Review - BitDefender Internet Security 10.0".
- ^ "BitDefender Free Version". BitDefender. Retrieved 2007-11-24.
- ^ "''BitDefender Products for Home Users''". BitDefender. Retrieved 2011-05-11.
- ^ "''BitDefender Business Solutions''". BitDefender. Retrieved 2011-05-11.
- ^ "''Free Tools''". BitDefender. Retrieved 2011-05-11.
- ^ Bitdefender Antispam NeuNet
- ^ "''Product History". Bitdefender.com. Retrieved 2010-11-09.
- ^ "''B-HAVE – The Road To Success''". Security-int.com. 2010-04-27. Retrieved 2010-11-09.
- ^ "''BitDefender 2010 for Windows 7''". News.softpedia.com. Retrieved 2010-11-09.
- ^ "''Security for Everyone - Reviewing BitDefender Internet Security 2010''". 7tutorials.com. 2009-10-07. Retrieved 2012-10-27.
- ^ "Group Test: AV Software" (PDF). PC Answers magazine. Future Publishing. May 2007. pp. 118–125.
- ^ "Virus Bulletin: VB100 Results - Bitdefender (SOFTWIN)".
- ^ "Anti-Virus Comparative February 2007".
- ^ "BitDefender Antivirus 10 review". PC World. 2007-04-23. Retrieved 2012-10-27.
- ^ "''Key results from the proactive antivirus protection test''". Anti-malware-test.com. Retrieved 2010-11-09.
- ^ "Anti-Virus Comparative August 2009" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-11-09.
- ^ Rubenking, Neil J. (2009-08-17). "''PCMag BitDefender Total Security 2010''". Pcmag.com. Retrieved 2012-10-27.
- ^ "Chart of top antivirus performers". PC World. 23 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-24.
- ^ "''BitDefender and Auslogics Partner''". Advfn.com. 2009-11-24. Retrieved 2010-11-09.
- ^ "''BitDefender support issues''". Pcworld.com. Retrieved 2010-11-09.
- ^ "Support Center". Bitdefender.com. Retrieved 2010-11-09.
- ^ "Bad BitDefender Update Clobbers Windows PCs".
- ^ "Trojan.FakeAlert.5 Update issue".
- ^ Peter Bright. "BitDefender update breaks 64-bit Windows PCs".
- ^ "Cursor is slow or jerky".