What is Antivirus RAP Testing And Why Is It Important?

Why am I still a fan of Sunbelt's VIPRE Antivirus+Antispam software?

 As I mentioned in my blog earlier, VIPRE has numerous advantages over competitors, and another independent testing has proven the value of this software. In fact, I have replaced all of free and commercial anti-malware products on my home network, recommended to all my friends and several small business owners, and installed VIPRE. I have no regrets.
 You might know that Virus Bulletin is the world's most prestigious antivirus lab. They have been testing antivirus products for years. Apart from their VB100 certification, they have another interesting test called RAP. It's for "Reactive and Proactive", and helps you form an impression of the heuristic -and- generic proactive detection capability of security software products - in particular how well products perform against malware that appears after vendors have submitted their products to Virus Bulletin for testing. They create a quadrant a few times a year, and compare all products they have tested. And as you see, VIPRE does EXCELLENT in this test in April 2010, compared to all the other products out there. Top right in the quadrant is highest quality. http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/alex/gblog/rap_detections_2.jpg

 As I have noted in another blog (The cyber-gangsters' "weapons" and the state of Internet security), there is no anti-virus program that can protect your PC from 100% of all malware, however, it should be an important part of your defense system, and it is where Sunbelt Software’s VIPRE engine (as one among the top AV products for reactive and proactive detection) shines. Virus Bulletin's RAP Testing measures products' reactive and proactive detection abilities against the most recent malware that has emerged around the world. The test measures virus/malware detection rates utilizing 4 specific sets of malware samples (look at the axles X and Y). The first three test sets reflect malware first seen in each of the three weeks prior to product submission. Shown results reflect how quickly product developers react to the steady flood of new malware emerging every day across the world. The last test set consists of malware samples first seen in the week after product submission. This test set is used to measure products' ability to detect new and unknown viruses proactively, using heuristic and generic techniques.

 You can read more (and see the comparison charts as well) at RTEK 2000 web site. I recommend VIPRE products based on my own experience and my own testing against competitors. Get VIPRE (pronounced "viper") now. I bet that small fee for this commercial product will pay off handsomely.