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Immunet v2 update on the way: adds multi-engine malware and virus scanning to cloud-powered core
Immunet v1 has been a success, and the company is already hard at work on version 2. Now in closed beta testing, Immunet 2 will feature some big-time improvements to its antivirus and antimalware defenses. Thanks to a partnership with Sourcefire -- makers of the ClamAV -- and the introduction of Avira's scanning engine, Immunet 2 will be the first Windows antivirus app to sport multi-engine scanning.
That's not the only thing which sets Immunet apart from other free Windows antivirus programs. There's one other giant difference: Immunet is free for use anywhere -- including commercial environments. Yes, you can run Immunet's antivirus defense on all of your SMB's machines without spending a dime. The same can't be said of apps like Avira, Avast, AVG, Comodo, or even Security Essentials.
Immunet is, however, going to bring a paid version to market which will incorporate additional engines for even greater defense. I've been testing the new version, and the additions haven't come at the expense of system resources -- Immunet v2 is still one of the lightest antivirus apps I've ever used, and it runs nicely in tandem with Microsoft Security Essentials.
The paid version also gets you additional scanners: email, archived or packed files, and deep scan. Both versions offer scheduled scanning, exclusions, and blocking mode -- which prevents application installs temporarily until they are determined to be safe.
The new version also adds a community display which lets you see the users you're connected to as well as your "protection factor" -- the number of people in your network times the number of threats blocked. Immunet's Alfred Huger, for example, is much better connected than I am -- dwarfing my 30,960 with a PF of over 840,000. It's something of a fun feature and it helps encourage users to share Immunet to help boost their own PF -- which is in turn good for the whole Immunet community.
Immunet version 2 looks very promising so far. If you're interested in getting your hands on a beta version to try out, stay tuned -- I'll be doing my best to secure access for some lucky Download Squad readers.
Immunet version 2 looks very promising so far. If you're interested in getting your hands on a beta version to try out, stay tuned -- I'll be doing my best to secure access for some lucky Download Squad readers.
Comments
17
Subscribe to commentsVortalJun 23rd 2010 12:21PM
Looks interesting.
So do you need another AV as well as this one or is it able to detect the same level as MS SE etc?
Lee MathewsJun 23rd 2010 12:23PM
I haven't seen comparatives yet, but I've been running V2 beta on three systems...and they're all still clean. One of them is at ground zero on my service bench, so it's being exposed to threats fairly regularly ;)
VortalJun 23rd 2010 12:32PM
Ah ok, always looking to find something which does a good job and uses less system resources.
guelthJun 23rd 2010 12:29PM
This is great news.
I have been using Immunet + MS Security Essentials on all my machines.
DonJun 28th 2010 12:36AM
And there's no conflict?
AlainJun 23rd 2010 12:37PM
I like your posts a lot, but could you stop linking a given product/company name to /tag/ ? When I clicked on Immunet after reading this piece, I was really expecting a link to their website; instead it looked at first like it just refreshed the page, showing me the same article I'd just read. This doesn't seem to serve any particularly useful purpose?
Lee MathewsJun 23rd 2010 12:38PM
Point taken, Alain -- we'll make sure to have prominent links to the developer sites in all the posts.
trialsntribulusJun 23rd 2010 12:44PM
If you're running MSE (which I am), why would you need another security app on top of it? MSE works better than anything I've ever used - alerting me to infections on the fly, which no other program ever did.
trialsntribulusJun 23rd 2010 1:01PM
Never mind - I went to Immunet's site and got the lowdown. Again, this is where linking directly to a company's site would help.
DonJun 28th 2010 12:38AM
MSE is light, proven & best of all--free.
clintriceJun 23rd 2010 12:51PM
Might want to correct your statement that it can run on all of your SMB's machines ... it doesn't install on Windows Server 2003.
RichardJun 23rd 2010 1:03PM
Any anti-virus/malware vendor that has their own custom UI worries me.
The point of such an app is that it shouldn't be seen and it should be lightweight. Any company that feels the need to pointlessly fluff the UI isn't prioritising their development correctly.
There is nothing wrong with the Windows UI for such an application. Use the time and resources to work on the features, the scanning or the memory used but not for "pretty graphics".
Lee MathewsJun 23rd 2010 2:01PM
I did ask Immunet's Alfred Huger about that -- they went with a custom UI because they felt the Windows native stuff was too heavy. So, like Panda who was also focused on the lightest system impact possible -- they opted against using the built-in window chrome.
danielkzaJun 23rd 2010 3:26PM
@Lee Mathews:
That makes no sense whatsoever. Custom controls filled with pointless background images aren't in any way lighter than the system built-ins: they incur extra memory and processing overhead instead of taking advantage of years of optimizations and tweaks present in any mature toolkit.
They could at least be honest an just admit they want sleek graphics to display in their screenshots.
LisaJun 23rd 2010 3:10PM
I installed Immunet several months ago to go along with MSE, but uninstalled it when someone unknowingly thought the 2 security apps would not work well together. After further reading I recently installed it again and it appears to work well.
However, to schedule scans you must submit your Window's password, your Window's username is automatically filled in; I guess from the information in your computer.
Of course it is not a big deal to manually scan my comp as I do with other apps I have installed. However, since a username and password must be created upon installation, why do they need your Windows' information? I certainly do not remember this being the case the first time I installed Immunet.
Lee JonesJun 23rd 2010 4:37PM
Immunet's lack of "Automatically Cleans Infected Files" feature (see http://www.immunet.com/plus/compare/index.html) is a deal-breaker for me. I don't want to have to train users to actually clean the infected files.
Um... I believe Comodo is free for commercial environments, but they do have a manged version as well as an upsell. I tried it but it is too... 'naggy'.
Microsoft Security Essentials is only free for home users and home-based business, but not free to non-profits and educational institutions. *sigh*
Non-profits can use Panda Cloud-AV, though. I'm using it at church after confirming it with Panda.
Denise TerryAug 12th 2010 6:51PM
In case any of you are interested in trying Immunet Protect Plus we're offering 50% off with coupon code "AUGUST" at the Immunet store here: http://bit.ly/immunetcoupon.
You can protect 3 PCs for 2 years at less than $10/year. Comparative testing of Immunet Protect Plus is in the works, to be published in the next weeks we hope.
Support questions can be answered toll-free at 1-866-891-4480, or just email Alfred directly or visit the community forum: http://support.immunet.com