Panda Cloud Antivirus

[Jeffrey]

Known for its security solutions business, Panda Security is a Having a grand Entrance with Panda Cloud Antivirus , a free antivirus Still proposed in beta and based entirely on "in the cloud" infrastructure , The originality of Panda Cloud Antivirus, is not so much its business model as its technology. The Spanish publisher actually innovates with an approach based on infrastructure "in the cloud." To summarize, unlike "traditional" antivirus performing all the tasks of local analysis, Panda AV Cloud lightens the load of the client by making some of these tasks on remote servers. according to Panda Security This allows, to offer customers a ultra-light Experience, whose code name was also "nano virus.

Panda Antivirus Cloud is out for several days in beta. It is free and Panda Security says that the final version will be also, and it seems it will remain, although the exact terms are still unclear. Product to share in the range of the publisher or first specimen of a complete renewal, Panda Antivirus Cloud is a product innovative enough to ensure that we are interested in this beta version, available publicly, and already functional.


Introduction to Panda Cloud Antivirus
Panda Cloud Antivirus is a security service that protects your PC without affecting performance: It always offers maximum performance and only comes into action when it is necessary.

This is the lightest and fastest antivirus service. It combats new threats without the need for updates, as it operates on the basis of our Collective Intelligence servers. You won't even notice it is installed.


Overview

• Reinventing the antivirus
  Panda Cloud Antivirus is intelligent and has been designed to act only when necessary. It's so light, you won't notice it's there, even if you are playing or using the Internet...
  
  
• The fastest in detecting new viruses
  Our network of Collective Intelligence servers identifies and processes viruses automatically in a fraction of the time required by laboratory technicians.
  
  
• Designed with you in mind
  Now you can forget about tiresome antivirus products with incessant notifications and difficult questions. Panda Cloud Antivirus works for you without annoying you.
  
  
• Updates are history
  The real key to Panda Cloud Antivirus is in the Collective Intelligence servers. That's why you'll always have maximum detection capacity without relying on traditional updates.
  
  
• Detects more than anyone else
  The Panda servers have a database of millions of viruses allowing Panda Cloud Antivirus to detect the multitude of threats that appear every day.
  
  
• The community is key
  Benefit from a network of users who automatically share information about viruses detected on their computers, ensuring that solutions travel around the world in just a few seconds.

Installation requirements
The minimum requirements that your computer must meet to install Panda Cloud Antivirus are as follows:

• Operating system: Windows Vista 32 (also compatible with Windows Vista SP1 32-bit), Windows XP (32-bit with SP 2 or 3).
  
• RAM: 64 MB.
  
• Hard disk free space: 100 MB.
  
• Browser: Internet Explorer 6.0 or later.

[Jeffrey]

Panda Cloud Antivirus : Features and Interface
Panda Security has developed Panda Cloud Antivirus to be the simplest and least intrusive as possible. A glance at the interface is clear: it is extremely clean. In addition to the screen that displays an overview of the protection in the form of a pictogram (green if the system is secure, or red if problems are detected), there are three tabs providing access to all three sections of the software :

• Settings: Allows you to enable or disable sending information about the files to the "cloud", and possibly to inform the presence of a proxy.
  
  
• Scan: Allows you to launch an analysis of the entire workstation or on a specific location on a disc.
  
  
• Report: Allows you to view statistical charts on the number of threats detected by categories (virus, trojan, worm, spyware ...) during the last 24 hours, week or month.

Panda Cloud Antivirus menu in the Notification area
Panda Cloud Antivirus has an options menu available in the Notification area of the Windows taskbar. To display this menu, right-click the Panda Cloud Antivirus icon in the Notification area. The options available are the following:

• Panda Cloud Antivirus: Lets you open the Panda Cloud Antivirus window.
  
• Resolve problems: Shows the status of Panda Cloud Antivirus and lets you resolve possible problems by following the advice on the screen. This option is only available when there is a problem to solve, and is accompanied by the number of problems pending resolution.
  
• Send us your comments: This lets you send comments and suggestions.
  
• Tell your friends: This lets you recommend Panda Cloud Antivirus to your friends.
  
• Help: From here you can go to the Help file whenever you need.
  
• Start / Stop antivirus: Panda Cloud Antivirus continually protects your computer, but in this case you can temporarily stop the protection and re-activate it whenever you want.

Panda Cloud Antivirus protection status
Panda Cloud Antivirus lets you see the status of your protection through the following icons:

• If the icon is green, Indicates that the Panda Cloud Antivirus protection status is correct. You do not need to take any action.
  
  
  
• If the icon is orange, Indicates that the Panda Cloud Antivirus protection status requires your attention. If you click this icon, you will see a series of recommendations to establish adequate protection levels.
  
  
• If it is red, Indicates that your computer is in danger. This could be because the Beta period has expired or because the antivirus is stopped for some reason. If you click this icon, Panda Cloud Antivirus displays a series of recommendations to establish adequate protection levels. For example, starting the antivirus.

It is important to follow the recommendations in Panda Cloud Antivirus when the protection level is not optimum (when the icon is red or yellow). To follow these recommendations, just click the buttons that appear next to each recommendation and follow the instructions.

A quarantine area for the files that the software failed to neutralize, is also available by clicking in the lower right corner of the window, and thus to "return" the application, as some iPhone applications widgets or Mac OS X.

Two details come to mind. First, we note the almost total absence of settings: it is impossible to configure, for example, actions to be taken in case of discovery of a threat. It is a choice of Panda Security, but a choice that may be induced to change by the final version, the publisher apparently had many requests about it. The second notable absence is that of a module updates the database. This omission has a very logical explanation: there is no basis for signatures! We will see later that the software can still benefit from a cached copy of its Collective Intelligence, when the computer is offline, but the bulk of operations detected from the cloud of Panda Security This eliminates the need to repatriate the signatures on the client PC, but this reduces the efficacy of off-line!

This concern of the bare minimum might appear to be exaggerated for some users even a fan of Antivir Personal Edition, AVG Free or Avast Home may not find his account when it seeks a minimum of customization. However, if Panda Security has reduced functionality as a minimum, the publisher has kept the essentials: Cloud Panda Antivirus protects against spyware and rootkits, as well as virus protection "classic" and incorporates an engine of heuristics. We still regret the absence of planned tests, but this is offset by the automation of analysis during periods of inactivity of the computer.

Ultimately, this first overview identifies who is Panda Antivirus Cloud: the public does not want to configure the software, who wants the least possible interference, and does not want to lose going through the complex interface. Depending on your point of view where we look, this bias may be regarded as a quality or a defect. The "power users" will be little incentive to leave their NOD32 or BitDefender preferred (or Antivir as regards free). However, for anyone wishing to be protected from the least intrusive manner possible, Panda Antivirus Cloud very well! See what is plunging deeper into the heart of the software.

[Jeffrey]

Recycle bin in Panda Cloud Antivirus
Panda Cloud Antivirus blocks suspicious or potentially dangerous files as a preventive measure, and displays these blocked files in its own recycle bin. You can access this recycle bin when you want to unblock these files (not recommended by Panda Security), delete them or enable the automatic file management.If you enable automatic management of possible viruses, Panda Cloud Antivirus will automatically send Panda Security information about the files blocked to establish as soon as possible if they are really a threat to your computer and take the corresponding measures. This way, Panda Cloud Antivirus offers a rapid and effective solution.


How can I access the recycle bin in Panda Cloud Antivirus?
To access the recycle bin, simply click the Plus icon in the bottom right of the Panda Cloud Antivirus window.

Note: If you want to see the date on which an item was neutralized, select Details in the drop-down menu in the top right corner of the window.

What can I do with the files in the recycle bin?
The Panda Cloud Antivirus recycle bin displays files and programs that have been blocked as a preventive measure.When you select a file in the recycle bin, Panda Cloud Antivirus displays an explanation of the reason why the file has been blocked and gives you several options (which vary depending on the type of file blocked). It is advisable to select the option recommended by Panda Security. The options are:

• Don't block this program: When you click this button, Panda Cloud Antivirus will unblock the file or program and allow it to be used normally. It is not advisable to choose this option, unless you are completely sure that you want to use the blocked file or program.
  
  
  Note: When you unblock a program all related files used by the program will also be unblocked.
  
  
• Enable automatic management: Allows automatic sending of information about the files blocked to our Collective Intelligence servers. It is highly advisable to enable this option, as it allows Panda Cloud Antivirus to take decisions as soon as possible on many of the files in the recycle bin.
  
  
• Delete this program: This lets you delete the file program.

For more information on the blocked item, click Exactly what does it do? A Web page will open with detailed information.


What are suspicious files?
Suspicious files are those that cannot be disinfected at the time of the scan or which simply have unusual characteristics. Panda Cloud Antivirus blocks these types of files as a preventive measure, until it can determine with certainty if they are really a threat to your computer.Panda Cloud Antivirus lets you see and manage blocked files from the recycle bin. To access the recycle bin, simply click the red plus icon in the bottom right of the Panda Cloud Antivirus window.Panda Cloud Antivirus includes a system for automatically managing possible viruses which should be enabled at all times. With this option enabled, and thanks to Collective Intelligence, Panda Cloud Antivirus manages these suspicious files and takes the necessary action without your intervention. You will also be contributing to the Panda Security community, by allowing other users to rapidly benefit from the solution. Nevertheless, from the recycle bin you can still take the action you want on any blocked files.



Follow our advice...

• Keep Automatic management of possible viruses enabled, in the Panda Cloud Antivirus Settings menu.
  
• If you want to take any action on suspicious files, follow the recommendations offered by Panda Security.

[Jeffrey]

What is Collective Intelligence?

Collective Intelligence is a security platform offering high-level protection in real time, exponentially increasing the detection capacity of your antivirus. It leverages the knowledge in the Panda Security user community and allows enormous quantities of malware to be processed, allowing mega-detection capacity while reducing resource consumption.To make the most of all the advantages of Collective Intelligence and increase the detection capacity of Panda Cloud Antivirus, your computer must be connected to the Internet during the scans.


Panda Cloud Antivirus , infrastructure "in the cloud"
Panda Antivirus Cloud is distinguished by its free and its simplicity, but above all by its model of protection quite original. This is based on the concept of Collective Intelligence developed by Panda Security. Behind this name hides a collaborative system where every user of a product involved Panda to detect threats effectively and to simplify, if a user runs a file, and it is detected by antivirus as hostile, information on the file are sent to the Panda Security servers that perform automatic classification via several methods (emulation, "sandboxing" ... heuristic analysis).

A signature is created automatically and sent to other clients running a Panda. The Spanish publisher claims that the delay between the analysis of the file and the return of a signature is almost instantaneous (about 6 minutes). The Collective Intelligence technology is subject to approval by the user: he may choose to be activated to install the product. At the level of confidentiality, Panda Security defends itself again to send personal information on its servers.

The aim of Panda Antivirus with Cloud, is to use this technology to Collective Intelligence with the client as light as possible. One can guess this can also push the publisher to offer a free software: more users of the Collective Intelligence are, the more the system is relevant. Panda Security has therefore an incentive to create a consistent user base. The firm thus tries Bilbao seductive approach with a simple and lightweight, especially directed towards the users concerned about the impact of their anti-virus on the performance of their PCs (for the game, for example). Here we find the reasoning of Symantec with 2009 versions of Norton Antivirus and Internet Security.

The functioning of Panda Antivirus Cloud is primarily based on an analysis of online files, but it is necessary to detail. Thus, free antivirus differentiates three types of files and their associated different priorities: the executable files are analyzed in real time, online, and automatically disinfected or deleted if they are detected as malicious. Files downloaded from the web, but not executed, are diverted to a waiting list where they will be analyzed first. Finally, for the other files already on disk, in a background task is started on the job during periods of inactivity of the computer.

[Jeffrey]

To evaluate the effectiveness of Panda Antivirus Cloud, we have submitted to several performance tests. Before going further, it must be remembered that the software is currently distributed as a beta version. Since Cloud Panda Antivirus is distributed publicly and openly by its publisher, it seems interesting to publish the results of these tests, especially in comparison to those of another free antivirus. Nevertheless, we must keep in mind that these results are subject to change by the release of the final version. They are therefore only indicative. The configuration used for all tests is a Dell Vostro 200 with a Core 2 Duo processor at 2.2 GHz and 2 GB of RAM. The computer is running a freshly installed version of Windows Vista Professional Edition, equipped with the Service Pack 1 and the latest security updates at the time of testing.

Detection of a virus database
The first test is to evaluate the detection capabilities of a database of 10 248 virus. The test was done with the Internet connection on, since Cloud Panda Antivirus uses data line of the Collective Intelligence to analyze the files. The results obtained were not smooth (several unannounced stops occurred during the test), that are more accurate since the software detects and removes 90% of files. The result is similar to the one found on the side of Antivir and AVG but still remains significantly lower than the results obtained by Avast 4.8. However, we should temper this by recalling, in addition to the beta status Cloud Panda AV, avast is known to generate many false positives, while the system used by Panda Antivirus Cloud is supposed to prevent them using a white list of known programs as safe. In addition, it must be remembered that the virus is now known as correct on all the antivirus market, the difference being rather on other issues such as the responsiveness of the editor regarding the addition of new signatures. We have seen that on this point, Panda Antivirus Cloud may have an advantage thanks to its online infrastructure.




Utilization of threats
Panda Antivirus Cloud was mainly designed to block the execution of files even if the software also features analysis in the background, the highest priority is given to the executable files. Once a file is launched, it is immediately analyzed and information on it are sent to the "cloud". We tested the blocking of several rootkits, Trojans and worms. The software seems to freeze quickly, but two rather strange problems occurred during our tests: during the disinfection phase, which often requires a reboot, it seems that the software runs in a loop and restart application after reboot. More annoying: we have tried to deliberately infect your machine by disabling the Resident Shield. On several occasions, that they no longer wished to restart after an error message appears and asks to repeat the operation. In short, given the still visibly unstable nature of the product, we must await the final version for testing blocking and disinfection further.

Impact on memory and CPU
The low impact on performance is one of the main arguments brandished by Panda Security: by offloading most of the tasks on an online infrastructure, Cloud Antivirus would be much lighter than its competitors. This is generally the case, but it must be some explanation. The first test of the impact on the processor. To do this, we launched Cinebench R10 rendering using both cores of our test PC while running a workstation with the virus. The result is very convincing: a score of 4 140 without antivirus, moving to a score of 3 240 lancée analysis. Significantly outperforms the software in this field AVG 8.5 and, to a lesser extent, Avast 4.8. However, the result is significantly lower than that obtained by Antivir.


Calculation of a 3D rendering with Cinebench during a scan
The memory occupation is also more than correct: being analyzed, the three processes consume about 16.6 launched Mo. It will be noted in passing the high stability of this occupation: during our testing, we have so no peak observed. However, as good as they are, these results are not dramatically lower than what is found among the commercial antivirus lighter, such as Norton Antivirus 2009, even if no other free antivirus arrives at the ankle Panda . Thus, Antivir Personal 9 still holds 40 MB being analyzed, avast 4.8 and can reach more than 44 MB! Finally, at the start of Windows, there is a very honorable time of 38 seconds against 33 seconds without antivirus. This one is much lower than that of AVG 8.5 and is also up in the value measured with Avast 4.8. There is however a difference with minimal Antivir, which is better for a second. Measurements were made between the lighting of the PC and the appearance of the icon of the active virus in position.

[Jeffrey]

Conclusion
First, the product, although widely distributed, is still in beta, Team Panda Security seems nevertheless quite dynamic and responsive and it seems we can trust them on their willingness to achieve a stable software by leaving the final version. Once this clarification is made, the software itself is interesting for several reasons. Panda Antivirus Cloud clearly pushes the limits of simplicity and even minimalism: it was rarely seen as an antivirus offering few options. In My view, we can applaud this initiative or pester against the lack of strict minimum: some users especially regret not being able to adjust the actions to be taken in case of discovery of a threat, or lack of planning analysis. We can thus think that the "power users" will tend to go their way.

At the lightness of Panda Antivirus Cloud, one of the main arguments put forward, we can only see the impact of the software on the performance of our test machine is very limited. The memory Usage never exceeds a very correct of 16 MB, its impact on the CPU also seems reduced, and the software does not slow down too much on Windows startup. The functioning of Panda Antivirus Cloud was also thought not to bother the user, through a differentiation in the priority of files to analyze that seems relevant. Combined with the childish simplicity of the interface, this lightness is undoubtedly one of the most attractive aspects of the software.

What about performance in the detection? This point is more difficult to verify as far as the testing for many samples threats have led to several crashes. On a smaller, the analysis has been completed and the results are satisfactory. The software also seems keen to take the necessary decisions in the case of the installation of malicious software: it has detected and blocked the installation of a number of "rogues" or Trojan horses that we have submitted. However, some bugs seem to occur sometimes impossible to restart the antivirus deactivated after disinfection or requiring a high number of restarts. The main limitation comes because of its strength: its dependence on online infrastructure Panda Security. Even if the software provides technology analysis and a local copy "cache" of data of collective intelligence, it will be more effective if the computer on which it is installed is connected ... and if the servers are available Panda! In all cases, Panda takes some risk out this virus that seems destined to remain free, even if the Spanish publisher apparently Released commercial products based on Cloud AV. Pending the release of the final version to deliver a definitive opinion on this rather original, we encourage you to test it, but given it status, we think it may be a little early to use it as a security solution on a daily basis , even if the version currently available is quite advanced and efficient. Finally, we may wonder if it will spark similar initiatives by other major 'security software publishers'