Cloud security concept escalation triggers hot debate: gimmicks or change

July 24, international information security manufacturers trend technology announced, upgraded its "cloud security" to "cloud Security 2.0" a year ago and announced the launch of a new "cloud Security 2.0" multi-level terminal security solution and related two core products-deployed at the network Layer Threat Discovery System (TDS) and deployed on the end of the antivirus wall network version of OfficeScan 10. Four days later, July 28, the domestic information security manufacturer Rising company also announced that its running a year of "cloud security" technology has achieved great success, "cloud security" will become the new anti-virus industry standards.

The two major information security vendors in the "Cloud security" field almost simultaneous action, let us feel, "cloud security" seems to be clouds open fog, more and more clear, gradually show the appearance of a real industry. Is "cloud security" a gimmick or a major industrial change? What benefits can it bring to the user?

Different "cloud security"

As early as July 2008, the trend of science and technology in the world's first launch of the "cloud security" concept, many users "disagree", that manufacturers are only the use of recent years, the popularity of the "cloud" heat, speculation concept just.

Because the concept of "cloud security" is too illusory. At that time, many people have not recognized what is "cloud computing" when there is a "cloud security." What is the relationship between "cloud security" and "cloud computing"? Is there a major technological breakthrough in cloud security? What is the goal of cloud security? What benefits can cloud security bring to users?

At that time, as the veteran technology fighter who struggled with the virus for years in the field of anti-virus-trend technology Greater China General manager Oscar firmly told reporters: "Cloud security is definitely not hype, nor gimmick, but anti-virus technology and a major change in the model." ”

He introduced, in the past, in the anti-virus field, manufacturers have been insisting on computer terminals and gateways to kill the virus, but with the highly developed Internet, viruses and vulnerabilities appear more and more frequently, virus code occupied by more and more memory, antivirus program consumes more and more system resources, open the relevant security software, Speed will become more and more slow, which makes many users often shut down antivirus programs, anti-virus software also lost meaning. "And the reality is once and again cruel to tell us that this method is not workable." "Oscar said. This is a large number of users around the world, why the installation of a large number of anti-virus software, to spend huge sums of money to the anti-virus services company to do services, the user's network is still not immune from the virus? Why do the Trojans want to come and go?

"This is more of our anti-virus manufacturers, we have done a lot of anti-virus work, tired all day, but the results are very little." I often ask myself, does our long-standing anti-virus work make sense? Even many people think that anti-virus companies are liars. He said, self-deprecating.

After several years of reflection, as well as a few years of technical reserves, the trend of technology finally decided to change the traditional in the terminal and Gateway Antivirus mode, the anti-virus function to the "cloud."

"At that time, the concept of ' cloud ' was just emerging, and in order to implement antivirus in the cloud, new technologies and huge investments were needed." "Oscar said. "We analyze that the security threats to end users typically come from three main approaches: browsing Web pages, e-mail, and Internet files, which can theoretically block all attacks on the network by using search techniques to mark all three levels of security." To this end, trend technology developed by the cloud to search the Web, the discovery of malicious code is not safe, if the user attempts to access the Web page, the "cloud security" mode of blocking, while at the user terminal, only need to install an antivirus engine, do not need to update the virus code, which avoids a large amount of resource consumption. "he said. Trend technology announced the change in July 2008, a method similar to the "cloud computing" approach adopted by internet companies such as Google. This is the earliest "cloud security" concept and technology in the anti-virus field.

"Many people just start to think that this is a new concept of speculation." But in order to achieve this ' cloud security ' architecture, trend technology took 3.5 of the time, invested 400 million of dollars, built 5 huge cloud data centers around the world, installed 34000 cloud servers, and ran maintenance costs of more than 15 million dollars a year. This is the investment and technical innovation, how can it be said to be hype? He asked.

"Cloud security" has so much controversy and disagreement in the industry, and make a lot of people feel dizzy, another important reason is that although it is known as "cloud security", but each manufacturer of "cloud security" understanding is different, so the technology and business model used is completely the same.

Rising company is another in the domestic release "cloud security" anti-virus enterprise, but its "cloud security" concept and method is completely different from trend technology, it represents a "cloud security" another typical model.

Rising company vice President Lu Qing introduced, rising "cloud security" is to use its vast number of end-users in the country-is now said that the number of users has reached 80 million, collected from the first line end users infected with virus code samples, and uploaded to the rising cloud data Center for analysis, Then the cloud database will analyze the results and upload them to every end-user computer on the Internet.

Rising research and development manager Liu introduced, rising "cloud security" experienced four stages: July 2005, rising released a virus monitoring network, the Internet virus at the time of the statistics and monitoring, which is rising "cloud security" embryonic; December 2007, Rising issued card 5.0 can automatically upload virus code to the detection system rising, this was a major improvement; then, in July 2008, the release of Kaka 6.0, so that users only need to install the software, added to the rising "cloud security" program, the Internet virus can be comprehensively collected and killed; December 2008 , rising "cloud security" upgrade to version 2.0, not only can upload the virus code at any time, but also upload the user-side detection of the Hanging horse site, which extends the "cloud security" defense range.

These two patterns reflect the vendor's contention for the technical route in the cloud security model: an emphasis on cloud computing capacity, relying on a huge amount of servers composed of "cloud architecture" system, manufacturers collect and analyze virus code through the Internet, and then antivirus for end users; another kind of emphasis on terminal virus collection ability, From the Internet in every corner of the user terminals to collect virus code, and then uploaded to the cloud to build a "security" system.

The rest of the antivirus vendors ' "Cloud Security" program is no different from these two modes. For example, Kaspersky launched the "Cloud Architecture", and rising of the "cloud security" model is basically similar to the use of terminals to collect virus samples, in the cloud analysis and production of anti-virus code, and then uploaded to the mass of Internet terminals, for the terminal killing virus, to eliminate the network on horse attacks. In this way, the role of end user suddenly from the manufacturer's profit source, into a "cloud security" system is an integral part of the "cloud security" to contribute their own strength.

It is impossible to conclude which technology route will eventually become mainstream, but one thing is certain, "cloud security" is definitely not a gimmick, although different manufacturers have different ways, but it is a technological revolution.

View "cloud Security" results

After a year of operation, especially the trend of technology spend money to build a "cloud security" framework, what is the role of it? Will "cloud security" be like a lot of technology in the past, short-lived, the application and the test of time?

Oscar said that the trend of technology "cloud security" after more than a year of time in the enterprise users to run, and achieved very good results. For users, one of the most important benefits is that they no longer need to patch the system, no longer need to update the virus code, which saves them a lot of energy and time.

"Previously, many users were accustomed to patching every day, update the virus code every day, but take advantage of our ' cloud security ' technology, do not need to update the virus code, almost do not feel the existence of the virus, the user just started very unaccustomed, but soon after, they are accustomed to this relaxed day. Oscar to tell the reporter with Exultant.

Trend Technology's "cloud security" is implemented through its antivirus wall network version OfficeScan, and its biggest difference from other enterprise anti-virus products is that it deploys only one anti-virus engine to the terminal computer and does not need to store the virus code. In this way, the terminal computer is liberated from the massive virus code analysis, the computation and the storage.

Oscar induction, the adoption of "cloud security" technology, enterprise users in the terminal anti-virus aspect, can achieve three "0" Protection: "0" Time difference virus code update; "0" The date Virus code deployment, "0" resource occupation. He further explained that the "0" jet lag virus code update indicates that virus code updates achieve global synchronization; "0" Time virus code deployment indicates that the enterprise no longer needs to spend time deploying the virus code; "0" resource occupancy indicates that the virus code no longer occupies the memory of the terminal computer.

"This effectively solves three major difficulties that have plagued business users for a long time: first of all, the network virus appears faster and faster, on average every two seconds will add a new virus, therefore, the enterprise is difficult to timely update the virus code in the terminal; second, in the past because the virus code stored in the terminal, so terminal memory to 3mb/ The speed of the month is consumed by the virus code, causes the terminal speed to become more and more slow, the efficiency is lower; Finally, in order to deploy the updated virus code to the terminal, it will take a lot of time, the survey shows that each virus code deployed to 1000 terminals need at least 4 hours, during which the terminal can not get timely protection. "he said.

And in a cloud that no user can see, is doing a lot of work: Daily query Cloud Virus library more than 5 billion people, 250 million new virus code every year, add 50 million IP address per month; Trend technology more than 1200 security experts analyze more than 4.3TB of data per day ...

"This is a huge advance in the anti-virus field, and now the companies that have deployed the trend technology ' cloud security ' have not felt the existence of prevention and antivirus behavior, which is the highest level of anti-virus that antivirus vendors and users pursue. "Oscar said.

Rising company vice president Lu Qing summed up rising "cloud security" technology brought to enterprises and users four aspects of the benefits. First, by rising 80 million of users to provide timely virus samples, since the release of the "Cloud Security" program, the company has intercepted 20.04 million virus samples, for users to intercept more than 2.1 billion horse-mounted site attacks, daily average 600多万次, 70 times per second, "so massive data, In a stand-alone anti-virus era is unthinkable. "Lu Qing said. Second, let rising accurate statistics and analysis of the current situation in the domestic virus outbreaks, such as through analysis, rising can clearly know, the current virus is the most widespread, which virus has not been harmful, which viruses will produce variants. Third, let rising at any time for malicious Web site monitoring, and take new technical measures to prevent malicious software. Four, through the implementation of "cloud Security" program, the user's overall security environment has been upgraded, rising learned that the current network of viruses and horse-linked sites are declining trend. Rising "cloud security" system every day to intercept the horse site attacks from the peak of nearly million, reduced to the current daily average of 100 to 2 million times. In the second quarter of 2009, the "cloud security" system intercepted 320 million horse-hanging websites attacking netizens, down 60% from the first quarter. "This is actually the most direct benefit of the cloud security program," he said. Lu Qing stressed.

A big change in the anti-virus industry

Although trend technology and rising companies to adopt a "cloud security" model is completely different, but two companies agree that it is now the anti-virus industry is a big change.

Oscar that "cloud security" is a huge change in anti-virus technologies and models, and that only companies that take "cloud security" technology will be able to survive in the fiercely competitive anti-virus market.

Lu Qing that the "cloud security" plan fully realized the expected concept-the Internet of security software, but also will trigger the entire security industry changes. She believes that although rising company this year's "cloud security" road is very difficult, but the fact that this is very worthwhile, "cloud security" must be the future of the anti-virus industry technology development direction. She expects that "cloud security" will become a technical standard for the entire anti-virus field in the future.

In fact, careful analysis, although the two companies "cloud security" to start the technical route is different, but is heading towards the same goal is moving forward: The terminal is increasingly "thin", and the cloud virus and anti-virus ability is increasingly strong. Trend technology has realized the terminal "0" Virus code storage, the end of the resources completely released, and rising also said that through the "cloud Security" system data analysis, rising experts can make the maximum anti-virus software optimization, so that its ability to kill more powerful, less consumption of resources, since the "cloud security" plan implementation, Rising anti-virus software virus database volume has been reduced by more than 60%.

See the "cloud security" to bring the actual benefits to users, trend technology and announced the "cloud security" to upgrade to version 2.0, in the 1.0 version of the emphasis on the Web virus killing on the basis of a new addition to the file virus killing. "Trend technology ' cloud security ' 2.0 has increased the application of file reputation technology (FRT) and multi-protocol correlation analysis technology, so that the file reputation technology and Web reputation Technology (WRT), mail reputation Technology (ERT) to achieve the relevance of interaction, to provide customers with a more secure and effective protection shield, This is definitely a major change in the management of terminal system security and the release of resources. "Oscar said.

But at the same time, he thinks, the virus transmission from U disk will still greatly destroy the network. "The current spread of the virus still follows the 2/8 principle: 80% of the virus from the Internet, 20% of viruses from the traditional media such as U disk." "Trend technology has encountered such a bank user, it has 1000 terminals, of which two infected with the virus on U disk, eventually the virus occupies 90% of the network traffic, the network almost paralyzed." How to locate which computer is infected with the virus is a new challenge for users.

"If there is a device that can identify and pinpoint a virus or have become a ' broiler ' terminal, it will greatly reduce the amount of user effort to kill the virus." To this end, as an important part of the ' Cloud Security ' 2.0 program, Trend technology has introduced a new Installation threat Discovery system TDs installed at the gateway, which can pinpoint the terminal of the virus. "Oscar introduced. At this point, "Cloud Security" 2.0 formed a "terminal to the Gateway", "terminal to the Cloud", "Gateway to the Cloud" multi-layer defense system.

How will industry change in the future? Oscar believes that "cloud" must be the future of anti-virus manufacturers in the direction of efforts. He believes that the future of the "cloud" is a huge operating system, this operating system is not developed by a company, but is developed by a number of companies, like the open source community, many vendors contribute their own power to form a huge Internet operating system, and the trend of technology to do, is to do their best to protect this "cloud operating system." But he also admits that this is very difficult, "because we already know the" cloud "to protect the user's network system, but do not know how to protect the ' cloud '. Once the technical route is identified, the next technological revolution in the field of anti-virus will be triggered. "he said.

The rising company is determined to continue to promote the Internet anti-virus software capabilities, the future will further the "cloud security" terminal extended to smartphones, netbooks and other mobile devices, vigorously expand the "cloud Security" program Terminal range. At the same time, Lu Qing also revealed that soon, rising will launch a "Cloud Security Alliance Program", so that the world's Web sites can join the alliance, so that the global mass of Web sites for "cloud security" to contribute their own strength.