Leading IT security companies and independent test labs agreed to create AMTSO (www.amtso.org) in January 2008 to address the global need for improvement in the objectivity, quality and relevance of anti-malware testing methodologies.

Beside VirusBus-ter, founding members included AV-Comparatives, AV-Test.org, AVG, Avira, Bit9, Bit-Defender, Dr. Web, Eset, F-Secure, G Data, Hispasec Sistemas, IBM, Kaspersky, McAfee, Microsoft, Norman, Panda, PC Tools, Sana, Secure Computing, Sophos, Symantec and Trend Micro. Gábor Szappanos, the head of VirusBuster´s virus lab, is on the organization´s board of directors.

So far, AMTSO has had mostly corporate members. In principle, membership has been open to individuals, but the 2,000 €/year price tag has put the threshold too high for the wider public.

Now AMTSO has announced a new subscription model, with the goal to become a hub for anyone who is interested in IT security. With a fee planned around 20 € per person, the new model is expected to be available from January 1, 2011. Such a low cost will allow individuals and small organizations to join in the sharing of knowledge in testing matters.

Subscribers will have access to and be able to participate in discussions through AMTSO mailing lists, where some of the world’s leading expert exchange their views and observations. They will also have the right to attend meetings (even if not as voting members), and to take part in the process of creating AMTSO documents of the organiza-tion.

”In order to realize its objectives more effectively, AMTSO needs the broadest membership base possible. It has to reach out to individual IT professionals, small businesses in the field, journalists, academics, university researchers and interested users. We need their contribution, their opinion, their feedback. I am confident that the new subscription model will attract a wide public, and will lead to exciting discussions. I hope many Hungarians will jump on the bandwagon, too, to help improve computer security all over the world”, said VirusBuster’s Gábor Szappanos."

Source: VirusBuster.hu