New security software testing standards body formed
AMTSO to promote cross-industry debate and higher standards in testing.
A collaborative group from across the security industry has officially been founded this week, aiming to provide a
forum for discussion on matters related to testing security software. The Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organisation
(AMTSO) will also create best-practices guidelines for testing, educate both testers and users on testing issues,
and provide resources to enable more comprehensive and accurate testing.
The formation of AMTSO comes after initial informal discussions took place at a dedicated anti-malware testing
workshop in Iceland last year and again at the annual VB and AVAR conferences. The details of the group's foundation were
thrashed out at a meeting in Bilbao last month, which was attended by representatives of a wide range of security firms,
testing bodies and other interested parties.
Over 40 industry experts joined the discussions in Bilbao, setting a framework for founding the group and defining its
aims and requirements, as well as forming committees to push those aims forward. An official website for the
group is now live, and further developments are expected after an inaugural technical meeting in the next few months.
'VB stands firmly behind the aims of the AMTSO, and is very pleased to see this demonstration of cross-industry
support for high quality, independent testing,' said John Hawes, Technical
Consultant at Virus Bulletin. 'While other commitments prevented us from being represented in Bilbao, we have been
party to much of the preliminary discussion on these matters, and hope to be closely involved with the
group in future. I'm sure this collaboration between so many minds will help us improve the service we offer our
readers, and ensure a bright future for all forms of security software testing. The knock-on results of this should
soon be seen in improved standards in security products, and in a safer online world for us all.'
The AMTSO website is at www.amtso.org.
04 February 2008
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