Multiscanning

Multiscanning is running multiple anti-malware or antivirus engines concurrently. Traditionally, only a single engine can actively scan a system at a given time. Using multiple engines simultaneously can result in conflicts that lead to system freezes and application failures.^[1][2] However, a number of security applications and application suites have optimized multiple engines to work together.

Reason

Testing agencies published results showing that no single antivirus engine is 100% effective against every malware threat.^[3][4] Because each engine uses different scanning methodologies and updates their malware definition files at various frequencies, using multiple engines increases the likelihood of catching malware before it can affect a system or network.^[5]

Vendors

• Coranti – Combined the engines of BitDefender, F-Prot, and the multiple ones of Lavasoft Ad-Aware. As of 31 December 2012 Coranti is no longer active.
• Emsisoft Anti-Malware – Combines an in-house engine with BitDefender engine.^[6]
• F-Secure – Combines an in-house engine with BitDefender's engine.^[7]
• G-Data AntiVirus – Combines in-house and BitDefender's engines. avast has been removed with version 2014^[8]

• HitmanPro – Combines an in-house behavioral engine with a cloud containing engines from Kaspersky Lab and BitDefender^[9]
• Lavasoft Ad-Aware – Combines an in-house anti-spyware engine with Vipre's engine. Ad-Aware Total Security replaces Vipre with G-Data's multiple engines.
• Microsoft Forefront – Combines the engines of Authentium, Kaspersky, Norman and VirusBuster, with its own in-house engine.^[10]
• OPSWAT Metadefender – Combines a configurable number of anti-malware engines (1 to 30) to scan for malware on premise. Also available with 42 engines in the cloud.^[11]
• eScan Antivirus – Combines the engines of BitDefender and MWL. Business editions also include the engines.
• Qihoo 360 Internet Security use Bitdefender Engine, QVM 2 Engine,360 Cloud engine. But, Chinese version includes Avira engine additionally.
• GFI MailEssentials – Combines the engines of Bitdefender, VIPRE, Kaspersky, Avira and McAfee, together with some in-house GFI technologies like the Trojan and Exe engine.^[12] GFI explains why one virus engine is not enough.^[13]
• Watchdog Anti-Malware - Combines an in-house behavioral engine with a cloud containing several engines using OPSWAT's Metsacan interface^[14]

Open Source Tools

• MultiAV – An open source project similar to OPSWAT Metascan that combines a configurable number of anti-malware engines (1 to 15).^[15]
• MultiScanner – An open source file analysis framework that allows the user to evaluate a set of files with a set of tools. Comes with a set of modules for different malware analysis tools.^[16]

See also

• Internet Security
• Comparison of antivirus software
• Comparison of firewalls

References

1. Clash Of The Antivirus Apps. Smart Computing Article (2007-01-05). Retrieved on 2012-02-29.
2. System Locks With Multiple Anti-Virus Programs | Dell. Support.dell.com (2005-03-15). Retrieved on 2012-02-29.
3. Why one virus engine is not enough. GFI White Paper. gfi.com
4. AV-TEST.org. AV-TEST. Retrieved on 2012-02-29.
5. The advantage of multiple anti-virus engines on server products – Forefront Team Blog – Site Home – TechNet Blogs. Blogs.technet.com (2007-10-19). Retrieved on 2012-02-29.
6. Emsisoft Anti-Malware Scanner Technology. Emsisoft.com. Retrieved on 2012-02-29.
7. Bitdefender Releases Carrier IQ Finder for Android.
8. Complete coverage of the G-Data Internet Security 2010 Antivirus & Security Software. PCWorld (2009-05-28). Retrieved on 2012-02-29.
9. http://www.surfright.nl/en/hitmanpro/intronew
10. New Microsoft Forefront Software Runs Five Antivirus Vendors' Engines. Dark Reading (2010-05-05). Retrieved on 2012-02-29.
11. Metascan Antivirus API | Symantec SDK, McAfee API, Kaspersky API. Opswat.com. Retrieved on 2012-02-29.
12. GFI MailEssentials Retrieved on 2014-09-02.
13. GFI Whitepaper
14. https://watchdogdevelopment.com/en/home/anti-malware
15. List of the engines supported by MultiAV
16. Modules built into MultiScanner