Independent Testing Service Evaluates Pest-Detection Software
NSTL Ranks PestPatrol Highest Among 13 Pest-Detection Software Solutions
CONSHOHOCKEN, Pennsylvania, November 2001 – When exterminating computer pests is the goal, IT personnel have a new resource to help achieve it. National Software Testing Labs (NSTL), an independent testing service, announces the availability of a test report that ranks the leading pest-detection software programs according to their detection success rates.
NSTL was contracted by SaferSite Inc. (Carlisle, Pa.) to evaluate its new software program – PestPatrol, a pest-detection and removal software solution – against other leading detection products. The result was a ranking of 13 leading products based on overall pest-detection capabilities, as well as success rates against specific categories of pests.
Pests are unwanted files that perform functions on other computers, such as retrieving passwords and private data, or using the Internet connection to disrupt other computers on the network. Unlike viruses, computer pests tend to run silently, and users often don’t know their systems are infected. The pests create “back doors,” which bypass established security measures, compromise the network, and invade personal privacy. They can be hacker tools (i.e., password crackers, network sniffers, and keystroke loggers, among others), remote administration tools, tools used to create distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, trojans, or spyware. Contrary to popular belief, pest detection and removal is not provided by anti-virus software.
“As more people become aware of pests and experience the damage they can cause, the demand in products to detect and exterminate them will increase,” said Lloyd Holder, CEO of NSTL Inc. “It’s important that the proper tools be developed – like those we tested – and that those tools be evaluated to measure their success.”
Test results, available online at www.NSTL.com, reveal that PestPatrol identified and eliminated 36 percent more computer pests than the other products tested. PestPatrol, NSTL concluded, is the most effective pest detection and removal system of the 13 products tested. The software identified 86 percent of the more than 7,300 known pests it was exposed to in the NSTL lab.
“NSTL’s thorough, independent evaluation procedures validate the efficiency and effectiveness of PestPatrol,” said Dr. David Stang, CTO and co-founder of SaferSite. “An 86 percent success rate means that computer users, including network administrators, can be that much more confident that their systems are protected against dangerous hackers and attack tools.”
Other report highlights:
· Only two of the 13 products tested detected more than half of the pests
· Only PestPatrol was able to detect spyware
About SaferSite
SaferSite is a Carlisle, Pa.-based developer of anti-hacker tools founded in May 2000 by a team of security software professionals to counter the growing threat of malicious non-virus software. The company’s flagship product, PestPatrol, is an anti-hacking toolkit that detects and removes hacker, remote administration and distributed denial-of-service attack creation tools, spyware, and trojans. Further details about the company and a free trial version of PestPatrol can be downloaded at www.PestPatrol.com.
About NSTL
NSTL was established in 1983 as the world’s first independent IT testing organization. From its suburban Philadelphia headquarters, NSTL services both the makers and the buyers of information technology with cutting-edge testing methodologies and consulting services. NSTL is a world-recognized authority in hardware and software performance, compatibility, usability, and functionality testing. Additional NSTL service offerings include Web and e-commerce testing, IT procurement support services, logo and validation programs, testing of wireless technologies, and outsourcing services.
NSTL has operations in the US, UK, Canada, Taiwan, China, Japan, and India. Major clients include 3Com Corp., Acer, AT&T, Canadian Federal Government, Compaq, Dell, Epson, HP, IBM, Intel, Lexmark, Lucent, Microsoft, Motorola, Philips Electronics, Symantec, and Wyse Technologies. For more information, visit www.nstl.com.