Virus Bulletin
Copyright © 2020 Virus Bulletin
The VB100 award remains as relevant now as it was at its inception 22 years ago – providing a stamp of quality and competence for anti-malware products that satisfy a minimum standard of detecting malicious executables that have recently been seen in the wild, while blocking few to no legitimate programs.
This report details the VB100 certification results of 42 such products from 36 different vendors during January and February 2020.
In the VB100 test, a copy of the product to be tested is installed on two platforms: Windows 10 and Windows 7. On each platform, and at three different times in the test, the product is asked to scan both the latest version of the WildList1 and a selection of clean files taken from Virus Bulletin’s own set of files belonging to widely used legitimate software.
A legitimate file that is blocked at least once is considered a false positive, while a WildList file that isn’t blocked is considered a miss.
A product achieves a VB100 certification if:
and
For full details, we refer to the VB100 methodology on the Virus Bulletin website: https://www.virusbulletin.com/testing/vb100/vb100-methodology/vb100-methodology-ver1-1/. This test used version 1.1 of the VB100 methodology.
The malware part of the VB100 certification uses the WildList, a regularly updated list of extremely well-vetted malware samples, guaranteed to have been spotted in the wild multiple times. This makes them very suitable for a certification test like VB100.
The ‘Diversity Test’ looks at products’ detection of another set of recent malware samples, to acknowledge the fact that products detect malware samples beyond a standard set of samples, and provides a measure of that detection.
Products were allowed to download updates during the course of the test. The version numbers listed in the results that follows refer to those at the start of the test.
| Windows 7 version | 12.7.1055.0 |  |
| Windows 10 version | 12.7.1055.0 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 99.29% |
| Windows 7 version | 12.7.1055.0 | |
| Windows 10 version | 12.7.1055.0 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 99.29% |
| Windows 7 version | 2020.01.13-7.83468 | |
| Windows 10 version | 2020.01.10-7.83433 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 99.29% |
| Windows 7 version | 9.0.60.1 | |
| Windows 10 version | 9.0.60.1 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 100.00% |
| Windows 7 version | 2020.01.11 | |
| Windows 10 version | 2020.01.11 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 99.29% |
| Windows 7 version | 19.8.2393 | |
| Windows 10 version | 19.8.2393 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 100.00% |
| Windows 7 version | 19.8.3108 | |
| Windows 10 version | 19.8.3108 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 100.00% |
| Windows 7 version | 1.0.5.170 | |
| Windows 10 version | 1.0.5.170 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 99.29% |
| Windows 7 version | 8.3.54.150 | |
| Windows 10 version | 8.3.54.150 | |
| WildList detection | 99.9% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 98.17% |
| Windows 7 version | 1.5.0.19 | |
| Windows 10 version | 1.5.0.19 | |
| WildList detection | 99.7% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 98.27% |
| Windows 7 version | 2020.1.0.9926 | |
| Windows 10 version | 2020.1.0.9926 | |
| WildList detection | 99.8% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 100.00% |
| Windows 7 version | 14.0.1400.2175 | |
| Windows 10 version | 14.0.1400.2175 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 100.00% |
| Windows 7 version | 7.1.2053.0 | |
| Windows 10 version | 7.1.2053.0 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 100.00% |
| Windows 7 version | 13.0.24.0 | |
| Windows 10 version | 13.0.24.0 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 100.00% |
| Windows 7 version | 13.0.24.0 | |
| Windows 10 version | 13.0.24.0 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 100.00% |
| Windows 7 version | 4.0.2.23116 | |
| Windows 10 version | 4.0.2.23116 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 99.29% |
| Windows 7 version | 8.3.54.158 | |
| Windows 10 version | 8.3.54.154 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 99.90% |
| Windows 7 version | 4.21.3102.484 | |
| Windows 10 version | 4.21.3102.484 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 100.00% |
| Windows 7 version | 31.28.1 | |
| Windows 10 version | 31.28.1 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 99.29% |
| Windows 7 version | 6.2.3.0912 | |
| Windows 10 version | 6.2.3.0912 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 100.00% |
| Windows 7 version | 25.5.5.43 | |
| Windows 10 version | 25.5.5.43 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 100.00% |
| Windows 7 version | 2.5.223 | |
| Windows 10 version | 2.5.223 | |
| WildList detection | 99.7% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 98.06% |
| Windows 7 version | 3.1.16 | |
| Windows 10 version | 3.1.16 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 100.00% |
| Windows 7 version | 1.0.0.13 | |
| Windows 10 version | 1.0.0.13 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 99.59% |
| Windows 7 version | 1.0.0.13 | |
| Windows 10 version | 1.0.0.13 | |
| WildList detection | 99.9% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 98.27% |
| Windows 7 version | 16.0.0128 | |
| Windows 10 version | 16.0.0128 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 100.00% |
| Windows 7 version | 11.1.1.126 | |
| Windows 10 version | 11.1.1.126 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 99.80% |
| Windows 7 version | 1.0.134.90567 | |
| Windows 10 version | 1.0.134.90567 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 83.15% |
| Windows 7 version | 4.14.31 | |
| Windows 10 version | 4.14.31 | |
| WildList detection | 99.9% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 98.17% |
| Windows 7 version | 3.0.0.95 | |
| Windows 10 version | 3.0.0.93 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 60.27% |
| Windows 7 version | 4.14.31 | |
| Windows 10 version | 4.14.31 | |
| WildList detection | 99.9% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 98.17% |
| Windows 7 version | 1.0.1000.9560 | |
| Windows 10 version | 1.0.1000.9560 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 99.59% |
| Windows 7 version | 5.0.0.57 | |
| Windows 10 version | 5.0.0.57 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 100.00% |
| Windows 7 version | 1.4.225047 | |
| Windows 10 version | 1.4.225047 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 99.29% |
| Windows 7 version | 12.3.26607.901 | |
| Windows 10 version | 12.3.26607.901 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 100.00% |
| Windows 7 version | 5.4.24 | |
| Windows 10 version | 5.4.24 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 99.69% |
| Windows 7 version | 12.0.0.243 | |
| Windows 10 version | 12.0.0.243 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 99.29% |
| Windows 7 version | 11.0.7633 | |
| Windows 10 version | 11.0.7633 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 99.29% |
| Windows 7 version | 9.0.95 | |
| Windows 10 version | 9.0.94 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 63.13% |
| Windows 7 version | 2.0.1653 | |
| Windows 10 version | 2.0.1653 | |
| WildList detection | 100.0% | |
| False positive rate | 0.000% | |
| Diversity Test rate | 99.59% |
There were two products that failed to achieve VB100 certification in this test: Cyren Command Anti-Malware and SecureAge Plus Pro.
BitSentry Elite had eight missed detections in the Diversity set. The product’s developers provided new product settings during the dispute period. Using the new settings the samples that were missed in the test would have been detected. However, the VB100 rules dictate that, since the data collection period had already ended, the results could not be changed in the final VB100 report. The amended settings will be used in future tests.
The WildList (certification) set contained 2,948 malicious samples. The set of clean samples used for the false positive test contained 100,000 files, of which 29,228 were portable executable (PE) files. The set used for the Diversity Test contained 981 malicious samples.
1 The WildList is an extremely well-vetted set of malware recently observed in the wild by researchers: http://www.wildlist.org/.
