Google acquires online virus scanning service VirusTotal

According to a statement from VirusTotal (via TNW), a free online virus scanning service, its long-time partner Google has acquired the service. There is no specific word on how Google might take advantage of the company to improve security offerings across its products, but VirusTotal confirmed it will continue to “operate independently, maintaining our partnerships with other antivirus companies and security experts”:

Our goal is simple: to help keep you safe on the web. And we’ve worked hard to ensure that the services we offer continually improve. But as a small, resource-constrained company, that can sometimes be challenging. So we’re delighted that Google, a long-time partner, has acquired VirusTotal. This is great news for you, and bad news for malware generators, because:

• The quality and power of our malware research tools will keep improving, most likely faster; and
• Google’s infrastructure will ensure that our tools are always ready, right when you need them.