Sophos welcomes formation of Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization.

AMTSO, the Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization, has announced its official formation and dedication to promulgating universally adopted standards and guidelines for anti-malware testing. The formation follows a meeting of more than 40 security software technologists and anti-malware testers from around the world, including Sophos, in Bilbao, Spain recently. According to AMTSO's website, the formation of AMTSO has been driven by industry-wide concern about the increasing mismatch between what anti-malware technologies actually do, and the testing methodologies used to evaluate them. As anti-malware solutions become more complex, many existing tests are unable to evaluate product effectiveness properly, resulting in product reviews that are sometimes incomplete, inaccurate and misleading. AMTSO is focused on addressing the global need for improvement in the objectivity, quality and relevance of testing methodologies. Industry's companies and testing organizations, include:

* ALWIL Software

* AV-Comparatives

* AV-Test.org

* AVG Technologies

* Avira GmbH

* Bit9

* BitDefender

* ESET

* F-Secure Corporation

* G DATA Software

* Hispasec Sistemas

* Kaspersky Lab

* McAfee, Inc.

* Microsoft Corp.

* Panda Security

* PC Tools

* Sana Security

* Secure Computing

* Sophos Plc

* Symantec Corporation

* Trend Micro Incorporated

www.amtso.org