All postsSometimes testers need to be tested too. We’re always up for a challenge!
How do you know which security products to buy? Are you buying solid protection or snake oil? Many rely on independent tests to help in the decision-making process. But how do you know if a test is any good or not?
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The Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization (AMTSO) has been working to create a Standard that will give you, the customer, some assurance that the test was conducted fairly.
Benefits of following a Standard
Earlier this year AMTSO has been trying out its Standard, which it has been working on for many months. SE Labs is proud to be involved in this initiative and the testing for this report has been assessed for compliance with the Standard.
If that sounds a bit dry, what it means is that there are experimental rules about how a tester should behave and we have put ourselves up for judgment by AMTSO.
Did participating in this process change the way we worked? Yes, but not in the technical ways that we test. Instead we turned the testing world’s business model on its head.
Are you buying solid protection or snake oil?
Many testers charge vendors money to be tested. Some will test regardless, but charge money if the vendors want to see their results before publication (and have the opportunity to make requests for corrections).
We think that the dispute process should be free for all. SE Labs has not charged any vendor for its participation in this test and we provided a free dispute process to any vendor that requested it. In this way every vendor is treated as equally as possible, for the fairest possible test.
UPDATE (10th May 2018): We are extremely proud to announce that our 2018 Q1 reports have been judged compliant (PDF) with the AMTSO Draft Standard v6.1 – 2018-05-10.
If you spot a detail in this report that you don’t understand, or would like to discuss, please contact us via our Twitter or Facebook accounts.
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