West Coast Labs Expands Checkmark Certification Program to the China Market and Issues First China Anti-Malware Accreditation to Rising Internet Security.

Rising Internet Security is subjected to extensive testing to defend against malware attacks authored worldwide but targeted toward the China market.

Cardiff, UK, November 18, 2010 - West Coast Labs, part of the Haymarket Media Group and one of the world's leading independent test facilities for information security products and services, today announced the expansion of its Checkmark Anti-Malware Certification program with an accreditation specifically for the China market. In addition, West Coast Labs is awarding the first Checkmark China Anti-Malware Certification to Beijing Rising Information Technology Co., Ltd., the first company the world to receive this certification, after completing the rigors of Checkmark product testing.

The China Anti-Malware Certification is a separate and distinct accreditation from the standard Checkmark certifications. It recognizes that there are specific and discrete forms of malware found in the China market, and its purpose is to test security technologies' detection capabilities of malware circulating in the greater China region.

"With the unrelenting world-wide increase in malware attacks, security technology developers must continually demonstrate to their customers the strength of their products and services to protect against a wide range of malware threats that are not only global but also geography-specific," said Lysa Myers, director of research, West Coast Labs. "As attacks are increasingly complex and persistent, Checkmark's real-world testing provides the most accurate assessment of a product's ability to protect users and corporate networks."

Checkmark is the world's leading content security certification system for information security products and services and is a highly regarded program that provides end users with confirmation of the effective functionality and performance of a product or service. In all of its testing, West Coast Labs uses live malware not simulators or virtual test networks. Certification test suites accurately reflect the malware threats faced by corporate networks worldwide.
"Rising Software strives to provide effective and efficient antivirus protection to users around the world by offering security solutions against malicious viruses, URL injection and Phishing websites that are widespread throughout Asia-Pacific region," said Julia Zhang, vice president, Beijing Rising Information Technology Co., Ltd. "We have the responsibility to help customers defend the attacks from all sorts of viruses that spread via various channels. As the very first company in China to achieve the China Anti Malware Checkmark accreditation, Rising receives additional validation of its technical strength in the area of computer security. We believe West Coast Labs' China Anti-Malware Certification establishes a new higher technical standard for the entire industry."

Testing Unique to China The expansion of the Checkmark Certification program specifically for the China market reflects the growing need for regionalized testing to accommodate the unique needs of specific geographies. This Anti-Malware accreditation program for China has certifications that apply to desktop, server, and gateway products.

Malware used in the China Anti-Malware Certification program comprises malware found in the region, malware attacking West Coast Labs' honeypots in the region, and malware contained in attacks upon West Coast Labs' honeypot originating in from this area. The suites contain a variety of malware including viruses, worms, Trojans, bots, rootkits, and spyware. These unique threats in the suite present different challenges from malware found elsewhere in the world.

Test Methodology and Results
The primary requirement for certification under the China Anti-Malware Certification program is 100% successful detection of the malware in the relevant, current China Certification test suite. Testing is conducted on operating systems with appropriate Chinese language character sets installed and is carried out on Chinese versions of the products. A blanket blocking of all files with certain extensions (e.g. quarantining all files with .EXE extensions) is not acceptable as an alternative to accurate detection of infections. Innocent files recorded as infected files are counted as a false positive versus a successful detection. Disinfection of infected files is not required. Vendors receive notification and relevant information when products fail to detect one or more infected files in order to modify the product and/or definition.

About West Coast Labs Checkmark Certification
Checkmark is one of the world's leading certification systems for information security products and services. This highly regarded accreditation program provides a level of assurance across a wide range of technologies that products and services perform to industry accepted standards.

About West Coast Labs
Part of the Haymarket Media Group, West Coast Labs is a global leader in technical research, testing and the Checkmark Certification of information security products and services. With market-leading technology and testing facilities accredited to ISO17025 in the UK, USA and India, West Coast Labs' services and the Checkmark Certification System are used by the leading global brands to create market advantage and by large business enterprises for obtaining crucial technical insight into product performance. For more information or to schedule a briefing, contact Lauren Curley, lcurley@westcoast.com, 781.383.6406.
 

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