Automated Threat Research

Phileas

Phileas is a ground-breaking online spyware research system developed by Webroot. Using patent-pending technology that scours the entire Web, Phileas discovers spyware on the Internet faster and more efficiently than any other research method. More importantly, it does so before end users unwittingly become infected.

Webroot's Phileas system provides an autonomous relay that constantly feeds Webroot's spyware repository, and also substantially helps reduce the number of false positives by finding the newest pieces of true spyware.

The Webroot Threat Research team uses proprietary algorithms to create definitions for each new spyware signature or variant, which go through an extensive quality assurance process before being released to customers.

Accurate Detection

A file or application that is incorrectly identified as spyware is known as a false positive. The detection of false positives in an enterprise environment can cause detrimental effects. Through its combination of thorough research and detection processes, Webroot provides the most accurate threat detection - minimizing the potential risk from misidentifying a mission-critical application as spyware.

Identifying spyware is only the first step towards eradicating it. After identifying a new type of spyware, each spy is given a unique definition by the Webroot Threat Research team. Definitions undergo rigorous testing to ensure that they correctly identify the malicious code and more importantly, that it does not incorrectly identify, or interfere with, legitimate files. This incorrect identification or "false positive" identification is one of the most challenging aspects in creating an effective anti-spyware application.

As spyware evolves and newer variants and components are released, it is more difficult for researchers to stay ahead of the growing threat, and more importantly - what looks like a threat, but isn't.