New reputation-based antivirus systems are doing a better job of blocking malicious software than did their predecessors.
That's what testing and certification company
NSS Labs discovered when it looked at how good antivirus software really is at blocking Web-based attacks.
NSS tested nine antivirus products by installing the software and then directing the PC to a battery of more than 3,000 Web sites that were known to be actively downloading malicious software to PCs. For two products -- built by Trend Micro and McAfee -- the tests took a look at how much so-called reputation-based malware detection systems really helped block malware. These reputation systems use a variety of techniques to size up a program and get a sense of whether it's trustworthy.
