NordVPN launches free tool to protect users from infected files
2024年7月1日 - 10:20PM
NordVPN, a leading cybersecurity company, launches its third
experimental product from the NordLabs platform. File
Checker is an online tool that scans different types of files for
malware and viruses. It helps to prevent malicious codes invading
user’s devices through infected or corrupted files downloaded
online.
“Hackers have long proven their talent for
disguising malware with legitimate-looking files. But the boom of
artificial intelligence and development of large language models
has enabled cybercriminals to build and distribute malware faster
and easier. But as hackers become more resourceful, so does the
cybersecurity industry. Tools like File Checker can help users
remain secure online,” says Vykintas Maknickas, head of product
strategy at NordVPN.
Using File Checker is free of charge, does not
require any registration or subscriptions, and is easy to use.
Users should simply upload the suspicious file to the tool to check
whether the file might be a threat. If the file is safe to open,
File Checker will notify that it shows no signs of malicious
activity. If that's not the case, the tool will alert that the file
might be malicious.
Despite the easy-to-use interface, the
technology behind File Checker is much more complex. Whenever a
user uploads a file to File Checker, the tool calculates the file's
hash in the browser and sends it to NordLabs' backend. Here, it's
checked against a huge database of known malicious file hashes. The
NordLabs file hashes database is analyzed and curated using machine
learning, AI, and other advanced techniques, offering extensive,
up-to-date results.
It’s important to note that NordVPN is fully
committed to the highest cybersecurity and privacy standards, thus
the file doesn't leave the user's computer throughout
the whole checking process.
“We believe that File
Checker will become an extremely valuable tool for the internet
community to manually check a file already downloaded to the
computer. But if the user wants to check a number of files at once
or needs file checking service constantly, one should consider
using the Threat Protection Pro feature,” says Vykintas
Maknickas.
Threat Protection Pro is a cybersecurity product
that allows you to check files for malware and viruses even before
they land on your device. Powered by AI solutions, Threat
Protection automatically scans the file you download and blocks it
if the tool detects anything malicious within the file.
Additionally, the tool also blocks malicious websites, stops
trackers, and prevents intrusive ads from popping onto your
screen.
According to the recent research, users should
be particularly careful when downloading files with “.exe”, “.zip”,
“.php”, “.dll”, and “.pdf” file extensions as they are mostly used
to harbor malware.
File Checker is the
third experimental product developed by NordLabs, a platform to
explore emerging technologies and create new tools and services.
The platform allows exclusive access to innovative projects
developed by the NordVPN team of developers. In January, NordVPN
launched Link Checker to protect users from malicious websites.
Last year, the company presented AI phishing assistant, an
AI-enabled browser extension to help internet users detect phishing
emails and protect themselves from cybercrime.
ABOUT NORDVPN
NordVPN is the world’s most advanced VPN service
provider, used by millions of internet users worldwide. NordVPN
provides double VPN encryption and Onion Over VPN and guarantees
privacy with zero tracking. One of the key features of the product
is Threat Protection, which blocks malicious websites, malware
during downloads, trackers, and ads. The latest service by the Nord
Security team is Saily — a new global eSIM. NordVPN is very
user-friendly, offers one of the best prices on the market, and has
over 6,200 servers covering 111 countries worldwide. For more
information: https://nordvpn.com.
More information: egidijus@nordsec.com