14 DAY TRIAL // SDK vendor OPSWAT has launched Metascan Online, a new scanning service that uses twenty antivirus engines to determine if files are infected.
Metascan Online is based on the OPSWAT's existent Metascan Antivirus Engine and SDK which allows software developers to implement multi-engine antivirus scanning in their products.
The new online scanner is free and is the latest addition to a group of similar services that have existed for a while, such as VirusTotal or Jotti's malware scan.
VirusTotal is the most popular and feature-rich of all of them. Compared to Metascan Online, it uses forty different antivirus engines and also employs a number of file characterization tools.
In addition, VirusTotal is capable of scanning malicious URLs by using various third-party services.
Nevertheless, Metascan Online does feature a few of antivirus engines that are missing from VirusTotal, namely BullGuard, Kingsoft and Quick Heal.
"Metascan Online has replaced our former filterbit.com service, which offered file scanning using 10 antivirus engines. Our new site has more scanning engines, improved scanning speeds, and a new design - all to improve the experience for users," OPSWAT announces.
The website allows users to see daily statistics about uploaded files or most commonly detected threats and also supports searching by MD5 or SHA1 checksums.
However, unlike VirusTotal which offers a free API for developers, Metascan's API is a commercial solution. VirusTotal is also more convenient because it offers browser extensions for Firefox, Chrome and Internet Explorer which make it easier for users to scan downloaded files or URLs.
Even so, Metascan Online's presence is welcomed because it extends the number of engines freely available to independent malware researchers and can lead to a more comprehensive view of threat detection rates.
Users should be aware though that this kind of services only use the signature and heuristic-based layer of protection of antivirus engines. Advanced behavioral detection components are not taken into account.
