Panda Cloud Antivirus
| Developer(s) | Panda Security |
|---|---|
| Initial release | November 10, 2009 |
| Stable release | 2.3.0 / October 29, 2013 |
| Development status | Current |
| Operating system | Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 |
| Platform | 32-bit, 64-bit |
| Available in | English, German, Spanish, Greek, French, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Turkish and Chinese |
| Type | Antivirus |
| License | Freeware |
| Website | http://www.cloudantivirus.com/ |
Panda Cloud Antivirus is antivirus software by Panda Security; a free and a paid version are available. It is cloud-based in the sense that files are scanned on a remote server without using processing power of the user's machine. The cloud technology is based on Panda's Collective Intelligence.[1] It can run constantly, providing protection against viruses and malicious websites but slowing the system to some extent,[2] or do a system scan.
Features
According to Panda Security, Panda Cloud Antivirus is able to detect viruses, trojans, worms, spyware, dialers, hacking tools, jokes and other security risks.[3]
Panda Cloud Antivirus relies on its "Collective Intelligence" and the cloud for up-to-date information.[4] It normally uses an Internet connection to access up-to-date information; if the Internet cannot be accessed, it will use a local cache of "the most common threats in circulation".[5]
Privacy concerns
Sending files or even checksums of segments of files out to a remote server to be processed is a severe privacy concern. The only guarantee of privacy in this case depends on both the goodwill of the company and security at their end. If Panda's servers are compromised, either by a criminal who works for them or by a hacker, users' security is compromised.[6]
Reviews
An April 2009 review found Panda Cloud Antivirus 1.0 to be clean, fast, simple, easy to use, and with good detection rates.[2] The same review scored Panda 98.87% in malware detection and 71.4% in malicious URL detection. Its overall score was 85%, a strong protection factor considering it is freeware.[7]
When version 1.0 was released on November 10, 2009, PC Magazine reviewed Panda Cloud Antivirus and gave it an Editor's Choice Award for Best Free AV.[8]
Tech Radar's review states "We think that Panda Cloud Antivirus is best viewed as a defense tool rather than a utility for cleaning up a system that's already riddled with infection."[9]
Lifehacker's review states that the antivirus is lightweight, and is a fresh approach to attacking malware. However they did not try to detect real malware (only tracking cookies) in their test.[10]
When Softpedia reviewed the software they said that it had a high overall detection rate, but had trouble listing all the results. Overall they say it is the best in the market for lightweight usage, and is easy to use, with a clean interface.[11] Version 1.4 changes: Toolbar and URL Filtering compatibility with Internet Explorer 9 and Firefox 4
License
The free edition of Panda Cloud Antivirus is released under a freeware license. Its usage is exclusively allowed for private households, state schools, non-governmental and non-profit organizations.[12]
Competitors
Other cloud-based anti-virus companies are:
References
- ↑ "What is Collective Intelligence"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Review: Panda Cloud Antivirus Steve Ragan, techherald.com 2009-4-29
- ↑ "What type of threats does the antivirus detect?"
- ↑ "What is the cloud?"
- ↑ "What happens if my computer is not connected to the Internet?"
- ↑ "Understanding the risks of cloud computing - computer weekly"
- ↑ James Wray and Ulf Stabe (2009-04-29). "Review: Panda Cloud Antivirus - Security". Thetechherald.com. Retrieved 2010-11-09.
- ↑ PC Magazine: Panda Cloud Antivirus Free Edition 1.0 Editor's Choice
- ↑ Panda Cloud Antivirus approaches virus protection from a different angle
- ↑ Panda Cloud Antivirus is a Lightweight, Always-Updated Virus Killer
- ↑ Panda Cloud Antivirus Goes Final Cloud-based Panda protection.
- ↑ Panda Cloud AntiVirus | Software EULA's Blog