BRATISLAVA – ESET, a global leader in cybersecurity, has received recognition with an Outstanding Product Award in AV-Comparatives’ Public Consumer Main Test Series for 2020. ESET Internet Security was assessed by the leading independent test lab, achieving Advanced+ level in all of AV-Comparatives’ tests.

For the 2020 Public Consumer Main Test Series, AV-Comparatives subjected 17 consumer security products for Windows to rigorous investigation. Programs were tested for their ability to protect against real-world internet threats, identify recent malicious programs, defend against advanced targeted attacks, and provide protection without slowing down PCs.

As well as receiving an Outstanding Product Award, ESET Internet Security received the Gold Award for False Positives, producing just five false positives and scoring higher than any other solution. It also earned Silver Awards for Malware Protection and Advanced Threat Protection.

Reviewers of the software were impressed with the solution’s ease of use and its clean and easy-to-navigate interface. They also commended ESET Internet Security for the useful search function of its settings dialog and the range of advanced options, as well as its safe default settings. They noted that the real-time file system protection is sensitive and reacts very quickly when needed, and highlighted the “excellent” help features.

Commenting on the results, Matej Krištofík, Product Manager for Home Windows, said: “Here at ESET, we are dedicated to safeguarding consumers and their data, and this award is a testament to that commitment. To protect consumers across the globe from cyber-risks, technology must be easy to deploy and navigate, so we are very proud that ESET Internet Security has been recognized for its ease of use. With technology taking up more room in our lives than ever before, ESET balances cutting-edge protection with an intuitive interface, and these results reflect this.”

BRATISLAVA, MONTREAL – ESET Research discovered another supply-chain attack in Asia, this time on the website of the Vietnam Government Certification Authority (VGCA). The attackers modified two of the software installers available for download on this website by adding a backdoor in order to compromise users of the legitimate application. Supply-chain attacks appear to be a quite common compromise vector for cyberespionage groups. Cybercrime operation SignSight leverages malware known as PhantomNet or Smanager.

“In Vietnam, digital signatures are very common, as digitally signed documents have the same level of enforceability as wet signatures. In addition to issuing certificates, the VGCA develops and distributes a digital signature toolkit. It is used by the Vietnamese government, and probably by private companies, to sign digital documents. The compromise of a certification authority website is a good opportunity for APT groups, since visitors are likely to have a high level of trust in a state organization responsible for digital signatures,” explains Matthieu Faou, one of ESET’s researchers investigating the SignSight operation.

The PhantomNet backdoor is quite simple and is able to collect victim information (computer name, hostname, username, OS version, user privileges [admin or not], and the public IP address) as well as install, remove and update malicious plugins. These additional and more complex plugins are probably only deployed on a few selected machines. By also installing the legitimate program, the attackers make sure that this compromise won’t be easily noticed by end users.

ESET researchers uncovered this new supply-chain attack in early December 2020 and notified the compromised organization and the VNCERT. We believe that the website ceased delivering compromised software installers at the end of August 2020. The Vietnam Government Certification Authority confirmed that they were aware of the attack before our notification and that they notified the users who downloaded the trojanized software.

ESET has seen victims in the Philippines in addition to Vietnam.

For more technical details about operation SignSight, read the blog post “Operation SignSight: Supply- chain attack against a certification authority in Southeast Asia” on WeLiveSecurity. Make sure to follow ESET Research on Twitter for the latest news from ESET Research.

BRATISLAVA – ESET, a global leader in cybersecurity, has today announced the launch of its new endpoint security management platform, ESET PROTECT, in selected countries. The new solution brings easy and automated management of ESET’s wide portfolio of security solutions with two deployment options: on-premises and cloud. ESET PROTECT Cloud is the new cornerstone for security management in ESET’s cloud-based business offering, capable of catering to organizations of all sizes.

The introduction of ESET PROTECT Cloud reflects the well-recognized shift in the security landscape from on-premises security software solutions to cloud-based services. ESET recognizes that many businesses are moving toward a “cloud first” approach, so a security software offering that aligns with this strategy is essential.

ESET PROTECT Cloud provides a cloud-based console for managing ESET security solutions deployed in a network with real-time visibility into both on-premises and off-premises endpoints. The console allows IT administrators to deploy ESET security solutions, execute tasks, enforce security policies, monitor system status, and quickly respond to problems or detections on managed endpoints across all platforms, including desktops, servers, virtual machines, and even mobile devices. In addition to integration for security information and event management (SIEM) tools, comprehensive reporting, and a fully customizable notification system, ESET PROTECT Cloud allows IT administrators to take immediate action against incidents.

The console allows users to manage existing ESET products, including ESET Endpoint Security, ESET Dynamic Threat Defense, and ESET Full Disk Encryption. Customers of ESET Cloud Administrator will be automatically and seamlessly upgraded to ESET PROTECT Cloud from launch day.

To ensure businesses of all sizes are equipped with the right solutions, ESET is offering a selection of subscriptions tailored to the specific business needs of home offices, small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), managed services providers (MSPs)* and enterprises. For the full set of ESET’s subscriptions, please check the table below.

All business subscriptions include either an on-premises endpoint management solution (ESET PROTECT; formerly ESET Security Management Center) or a cloud-based one (ESET PROTECT Cloud), along with ESET Endpoint Security by default. For customers looking only for email security, ESET will also offer an ESET PROTECT Mail Plus subscription.

The ESET PROTECT Advanced subscription was designed with the needs of SMBs and MSPs in mind. Providing endpoint protection against ransomware and zero-day threats, and data protection via full disk encryption, the subscription meets the challenge of managing and protecting corporate networks in the face of evolving threats.

The ESET PROTECT Enterprise subscription is geared toward large organizations, where deep visibility and rigorous security requirements are essential. The subscription offers the highest value for mature enterprise customers with one of the most powerful endpoint detection and response solutions on the market – ESET Enterprise Inspector, currently manageable only from ESET PROTECT. By providing rule-based detection of suspicious events happening on endpoints, as well as threat hunting and remediation capabilities, this subscription ensures that emerging threats, risky employee behavior, and unwanted applications are not putting organizations at risk.

Ignacio Sbampato, Chief Business Officer at ESET, commented, “We are thrilled to offer solution for businesses of all sizes that are implementing a ‘cloud-first’ strategy for their IT security. ESET PROTECT Cloud is the culmination of listening to shifting business needs, keeping our fingers on the pulse of the cybersecurity landscape, and improving on our multilayered security solutions. At ESET, we are passionate about safer technology for all, and that means that businesses of all shapes and sizes must be equipped with cutting-edge, tailored solutions to keep their employees and data safe and secure.”

To learn more about ESET PROTECT Cloud, click here.

*Please note that the support of ESET PROTECT and ESET PROTECT Cloud for MSPs will become available in January 2021.

BRATISLAVA – ESET, a global leader in cybersecurity, announced today it is continuing to partner with Google to protect Google Chrome users. ESET’s award-winning technology is used by Google to scan, identify and remove unwanted software encountered by users of Chrome for Windows. The extension of the cooperation on Chrome Cleanup, part of Chrome’s Safe Browsing feature, continues the close collaboration between the world’s most popular browser and the leading EU-based IT security vendor’s technology.

As applied in Chrome Cleanup, ESET’s technology is used by Google to alert users about unwanted or potentially harmful software attempting to get on users’ devices through stealth, for example, by being bundled into the download of legitimate software or content. Google Chrome, using ESET’s security technology, then provides users with the option to remove the unwanted software. Chrome Cleanup operates in the background, without visibility or interruptions to the user. It deletes the unwanted software and notifies the user once the cleanup has been successfully completed.

The two companies enjoy a broad relationship that also includes a collaborative role in which ESET works closely with Google to ensure the safety of the Google Play Store as a partner in the App Defense Alliance. ESET also provides data for users of Chronicle, Google Cloud’s security analytics platform, to surface verdicts on malicious files.

“We are proud to partner with Google in helping Chrome users enjoy safer technology,” said Juraj Malcho, ESET Chief Technology Officer. “The ongoing collaboration with Google and Chrome Cleanup demonstrates the importance that both companies place on keeping users safe and secure. With Chrome being the browser of choice for most Windows users, ESET’s technology and engineers are providing frontline protection.”

For additional information about Google Chrome Cleanup, please click here