Test Lab: AppEsteem Logo
Test Title: AppEsteem UwS Certification 2020 (series)
AMTSO Test ID: AMTSO-LS1-TP019

  • Statement from Test Lab:

    “For almost three years, AppEsteem has worked to establish a consensus among AVs about the behaviors that make an app Unwanted Software (UwS) or a Potentially Unwanted Application (PUA). We have codified these behaviors into “ACRs”, or Application Certification Requirements. We publish a freely-available Deceptor® feed, which contains software monetization apps we believe are Unwanted, and a freely-available Certified feed, which contains apps we have certified as clean, and that we believe should be considered neither UwS nor PUA. These feeds are widely used by many parties, including AVs.

    The objective of this UwS Handling Certification Test is to provide consumers with information on which AV products have effectively implemented our Deceptor and Certified feeds, so they can be assured of effective protection against over-aggressive software monetizers while not getting impeded from working with “clean” software monetizers.

    Because each AV has control of their own policies, this UwS Handling Certification Test lets AVs describe any deviations they have between their blocking policies and our ACRs. Each AV’s final score reflects their ability to block Deceptors, allow Certifieds, and explain their policy deviations.”

    Test Plan

    Participants: 7
    These Vendors chose to adopt Participant status under the AMTSO Standard, gaining certain guaranteed rights in return for attestations

    “Included” Vendors: 18
    These Vendors did not chose to adopt Participant status under the AMTSO Standard, but may have engaged with the test lab in other ways

    Compliance Status: Confirmed compliant with AMTSO Standard v1.3 – Test components January, February, March, April 2020 (round 1); May, June, July, August 2020 (round 2); September, October, November, December 2020 (round 3)

    Published test Report

    Publication Date: 2020 (new data published monthly)

    Participation information

    NOTE: Not all products included in all monthly reports

    Vendor Status Phase 1 Feedback Attestations Comments (Phase 1) Phase 2 feedback Comments (Phase 2)
    Avast PARTICIPANT Completed Completed None Completed None
    AVG PARTICIPANT Completed Completed None Completed None
    Avira PARTICIPANT Completed Completed None Completed None
    Bitdefender INCLUDED None None None None None
    Comodo INCLUDED None None None None None
    Cyren INCLUDED None None None None None
    Dr Web INCLUDED None None None None None
    Enigmasoft INCLUDED None None None None None
    ESET INCLUDED None None None None None
    G DATA INCLUDED None None None None None
    K7 PARTICIPANT Completed Completed None Completed None
    Kaspersky PARTICIPANT Completed Completed None Completed None
    MalwareBytes INCLUDED None None None None None
    McAfee INCLUDED None None None None None
    Microsoft INCLUDED None None None None None
    Panda INCLUDED None None None None None
    Qihoo INCLUDED None None None None None
    Quick Heal INCLUDED Completed None SUBMITTED None None
    Sophos PARTICIPANT Completed Completed None Completed None
    Symantec INCLUDED None None None None None
    Tencent INCLUDED None None None None None
    TGSoft PARTICIPANT Completed Completed None Completed SUBMITTED
    ThreatTrack INCLUDED None None None None None
    Trend_Micro INCLUDED None None None None None
    Webroot INCLUDED None None None None None
    Notable Commentary

    Quick Heal (Phase 1 Jan-Apr):

    “We had requested AppEsteem to remove our product from the test in June 2019. However, they declined because we hadn’t made the request in March when AMTSO had sent a notification about upcoming test. That was a miss from our side; though we would still expect the testing companies to be more receptive of security vendors’ wishes to be included in a test or not.”

    TGSoft (Phase 2 May-Sep):

    On topic “Feedback and dispute processes”:
    “Better specify the reason why a dispute isn’t accepted.”

  • Test Title: “AppEsteem UwS Certification 2019 (series)”
    AMTSO Test ID: AMTSO-LS1-TP006

    Test Plan

    Notification date: 2019-12-09
    Notification method: Publicly posted test plan, Contact List notice

    Commencement date: 2020-01-07

    Phase 1 Commentary dates: 2019-12-17 – 2019-12-27
    Phase 2 Commentary dates: 2020-05-20 – 2020-05-28 (Round 1 – Jan-Apr components)
    Phase 2 Commentary dates: 2020-10-01 – 2020-10-09 (Round 2 – May-Aug components)
    Phase 3 Commentary dates: 2020-12-07 – 2020-12-15 (Round 3 – Sep-Dec components)

    Publication Date: 2020 (new data published monthly)

    Published test Report

  • AppEsteem “UwS Certification 2020 (series)” (ID AMTSO-LS1-TP019) covered the following products:
    NOTE: Not all products included in all monthly reports

    Avast Internet Security
    AVG Internet Security
    Avira Antivirus Pro
    Bitdefender Internet Security
    Comodo Antivirus
    Cyren F-Prot Antivirus
    Doctor Web Security Space for Windows
    EnigmaSoft SpyHunter 5
    ESET Internet Security
    G DATA INTERNET SECURITY
    K7 Total Security
    Kaspersky Internet Security
    MalwareBytes Premium
    McAfee Total Protection
    Microsoft Windows Defender
    Panda Dome
    Qihoo Internet_Security
    Quick Heal 360_Total_Security
    Sophos Home Premium
    Symantec Norton Security Standard
    Tencent PC Manager
    TGSoft VirIT eXplorer Lite
    Threat Track Vipre Advanced Security
    Trend Micro Internet Security
    Webroot Internet Security

  • Phase 1 Commentary dates: 2019-12-17 – 2019-12-27
    Phase 2 Commentary dates: 2020-05-20 – 2020-05-28 (Round 1 – Jan-Apr components)
    Phase 2 Commentary dates: 2020-10-01 – 2020-10-09 (Round 2 – May-Sep components)
    Phase 3 Commentary dates: 2020-12-07 – 2020-12-15 (Round 3 – Oct-Dec components)

    Commentary received:

    Avast

    Vendor Status: PARTICIPANT

    Vendor Attestation Status: ALL ATTESTATIONS PROVIDED

    Commentary (Phase 1): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Vendor Confirmation Status: ALL ITEMS MARKED AS SATISFACTORY

    Commentary (Phase 2): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    AVG

    Vendor Status: PARTICIPANT

    Vendor Attestation Status: ALL ATTESTATIONS PROVIDED

    Commentary (Phase 1): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Vendor Confirmation Status: ALL ITEMS MARKED AS SATISFACTORY

    Commentary (Phase 2): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Avira

    Vendor Status: PARTICIPANT

    Vendor Attestation Status: ALL ATTESTATIONS PROVIDED

    Commentary (Phase 1): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Vendor Confirmation Status: ALL ITEMS MARKED AS SATISFACTORY

    Commentary (Phase 2): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Bitdefender

    Vendor Status: INCLUDED

    Vendor Attestation Status: NO ATTESTATIONS PROVIDED

    Commentary (Phase 1): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Vendor Confirmation Status: NO RESPONSE

    Commentary (Phase 2): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Comodo

    Vendor Status: INCLUDED

    Vendor Attestation Status: NO ATTESTATIONS PROVIDED

    Commentary (Phase 1): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Vendor Confirmation Status: NO RESPONSE

    Commentary (Phase 2): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    CYREN

    Vendor Status: INCLUDED

    Vendor Attestation Status: NO ATTESTATIONS PROVIDED

    Commentary (Phase 1): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Vendor Confirmation Status: NO RESPONSE

    Commentary (Phase 2): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Doctor Web

    Vendor Status: INCLUDED

    Vendor Attestation Status: NO ATTESTATIONS PROVIDED

    Commentary (Phase 1): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Vendor Confirmation Status: NO RESPONSE

    Commentary (Phase 2): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    EnigmaSoft

    Vendor Status: INCLUDED

    Vendor Attestation Status: NO ATTESTATIONS PROVIDED

    Commentary (Phase 1): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Vendor Confirmation Status: NO RESPONSE

    Commentary (Phase 2): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Eset

    Vendor Status: INCLUDED

    Vendor Attestation Status: NO ATTESTATIONS PROVIDED

    Commentary (Phase 1): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Vendor Confirmation Status: NO RESPONSE

    Commentary (Phase 2): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    G Data

    Vendor Status: INCLUDED

    Vendor Attestation Status: NO ATTESTATIONS PROVIDED

    Commentary (Phase 1): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Vendor Confirmation Status: NO RESPONSE

    Commentary (Phase 2): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    K7 Computing

    Vendor Status: PARTICIPANT

    Vendor Attestation Status: ALL ATTESTATIONS PROVIDED

    Commentary (Phase 1): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Vendor Confirmation Status: SOME ITEMS MARKED AS LESS THAN SATISFACTORY

    Commentary (Phase 2): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Kaspersky Lab

    Vendor Status: PARTICIPANT

    Vendor Attestation Status: ALL ATTESTATIONS PROVIDED

    Commentary (Phase 1): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Vendor Confirmation Status: SOME ITEMS MARKED AS LESS THAN SATISFACTORY

    Commentary (Phase 2): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    MalwareBytes

    Vendor Status: INCLUDED

    Vendor Attestation Status: NO ATTESTATIONS PROVIDED

    Commentary (Phase 1): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Vendor Confirmation Status: NO RESPONSE

    Commentary (Phase 2): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    McAfee

    Vendor Status: INCLUDED

    Vendor Attestation Status: NO ATTESTATIONS PROVIDED

    Commentary (Phase 1): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Vendor Confirmation Status: NO RESPONSE

    Commentary (Phase 2): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Microsoft

    Vendor Status: INCLUDED

    Vendor Attestation Status: NO ATTESTATIONS PROVIDED

    Commentary (Phase 1): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Vendor Confirmation Status: NO RESPONSE

    Commentary (Phase 2): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Panda

    Vendor Status: INCLUDED

    Vendor Attestation Status: NO ATTESTATIONS PROVIDED

    Commentary (Phase 1): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Vendor Confirmation Status: NO RESPONSE

    Commentary (Phase 2): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Qihoo

    Vendor Status: INCLUDED

    Vendor Attestation Status: NO ATTESTATIONS PROVIDED

    Commentary (Phase 1): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Vendor Confirmation Status: NO RESPONSE

    Commentary (Phase 2): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Quick Heal

    Vendor Status: INCLUDED

    Vendor Attestation Status: NO ATTESTATIONS PROVIDED

    Commentary (Phase 1): COMMENTARY SUBMITTED as follows:

    “We had requested AppEsteem to remove our product from the test in June 2019. However, they declined because we hadn’t made the request in March when AMTSO had sent a notification about upcoming test. That was a miss from our side; though we would still expect the testing companies to be more receptive of security vendors’ wishes to be included in a test or not.”

    Vendor Confirmation Status: NO RESPONSE

    Commentary (Phase 2): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Sophos

    Vendor Status: PARTICIPANT

    Vendor Attestation Status: ALL ATTESTATIONS PROVIDED

    Commentary (Phase 1): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Vendor Confirmation Status: ALL ITEMS MARKED AS SATISFACTORY

    Commentary (Phase 2): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Symantec

    Vendor Status: INCLUDED

    Vendor Attestation Status: NO ATTESTATIONS PROVIDED

    Commentary (Phase 1): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Vendor Confirmation Status: NO RESPONSE

    Commentary (Phase 2): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    TG Soft

    Vendor Status: PARTICIPANT

    Vendor Attestation Status: ALL ATTESTATIONS PROVIDED

    Commentary (Phase 1): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Vendor Confirmation Status: SOME ITEMS MARKED AS LESS THAN SATISFACTORY

    Commentary (Phase 2): COMMENTARY SUBMITTED as follows:

    On topic “Feedback and dispute processes”: Better specify the reason why a dispute isn’t accepted.

    Trend Micro

    Vendor Status: INCLUDED

    Vendor Attestation Status: NO ATTESTATIONS PROVIDED

    Commentary (Phase 1): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Vendor Confirmation Status: NO RESPONSE

    Commentary (Phase 2): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Tencent

    Vendor Status: INCLUDED

    Vendor Attestation Status: NO ATTESTATIONS PROVIDED

    Commentary (Phase 1): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Vendor Confirmation Status: NO RESPONSE

    Commentary (Phase 2): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Threat Track

    Vendor Status: INCLUDED

    Vendor Attestation Status: NO ATTESTATIONS PROVIDED

    Commentary (Phase 1): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Vendor Confirmation Status: NO RESPONSE

    Commentary (Phase 2): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Webroot

    Vendor Status: INCLUDED

    Vendor Attestation Status: NO ATTESTATIONS PROVIDED

    Commentary (Phase 1): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

    Vendor Confirmation Status: NO RESPONSE

    Commentary (Phase 2): NO COMMENTARY SUBMITTED

  • Compliance Status: Confirmed compliant with AMTSO Standard v1.3 – Jan-Apr

    Round 1 (Jan-Apr):

    Compliance report

    Round 2 (May-Aug):

    Compliance report

    Round 3 (Sep-Dec):

    Compliance report