CARO

{{Short description|Organization which research and study malwares}}{{Other uses|Caro (disambiguation){{!}}Caro}}thumb

CARO (Computer Antivirus Research Organization) is an organization that was established in 1990 to research and study malware.

The organization is perhaps best known for the [http://www.caro.org/articles/naming.html Virus Naming Convention] of 1991 (with subsequent revisions). Though widely adopted, it still faced usage obstacles. This has led to proposal of new naming systems from product vendors and industry groups.{{cite web|title=What we detect » Classification|url=https://encyclopedia.kaspersky.com/knowledge/classification/|publisher=Kaspersky Lab Securelist|accessdate=18 March 2021}}

The annual workshop is the biggest CARO event. The workshop is usually organized and hosted by one anti-virus firm in their home country. Workshops started in 2007 and the attendance is limited to 120-130 top anti-malware experts with a strict policy of no photography or recordings of any kind:

  • 2007: Reykjavik, Iceland (organized by F-Prot)
  • 2008: Hoofddorp, The Netherlands (Norman)
  • 2009: Budapest, Hungary (Virus Buster)
  • 2010: Helsinki, Finland (F-Secure)
  • 2011: Prague, Czech Republic (AVAST Software)
  • 2012: Munich, Germany (Trend Micro and McAfee)
  • 2013: Bratislava, Slovakia (ESET)
  • 2014: Melbourne, FL, USA (Florida Institute of Technology)
  • 2015: Hamburg, Germany (Trend Micro)
  • 2016: Bucharest, Romania (Avira)
  • 2017: Krakow, Poland (ESET)
  • 2018: Portland, OR, USA (AMTSO)
  • 2019: Copenhagen, Denmark (CSIS Security Group)
  • 2020: Online (G Data), due to Covid-19 the workshop was cancelled last minute. For those that wanted or needed to present, there was a 1-day mini-CARO-workshop online.
  • 2022: Brno, Czech Republic (Avast)
  • 2023: Bochum, Germany (G Data)
  • 2024: Arlington, USA (Cyber Threat Alliance)

EICAR test file

{{Main|EICAR test file}}

CARO, in collaboration with EICAR (European Institute for Computer Antivirus Research), developed the EICAR test file, an executable string designed to test the integrity of antivirus software.{{cite web|url=http://www.eset.com/resources/white-papers/AVAR-EICAR-2010.pdf|title=Test Files and Product Evaluation: the Case for and against Malware Simulation|first=David|last=Harley|first2=Lysa|last2=Myers|first3=Eddy|last3=Willems|work=AVAR2010 13th Association of anti Virus Asia Researchers International Conference|accessdate=June 30, 2011|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929040553/http://www.eset.com/resources/white-papers/AVAR-EICAR-2010.pdf|archivedate=September 29, 2011}}

Members

CARO membership is a private issue with members choosing to publicize their membership or not.

Members of CARO, founders and not, current or not, who have publicly stated their membership at some point include: Friðrik Skúlason (founder of FRISK Software International), Dr. Alan Solomon (founder of Dr Solomon's Antivirus Toolkit), Vesselin Bontchev, Mikko Hyppönen (CRO of F-Secure), Eugene Kaspersky (founder of Kaspersky Lab), Nick FitzGerald, Peter Ferrie, Dmitry Gryaznov, Igor Muttik, Atley Padgett Peterson, Costin Raiu, Peter Kruse, Morton Swimmer, Righard Zwienenberg and Philipp Wolf.{{cite web|title=CARO Members|url=http://www.caro.org/users/index.html|publisher=CARO|accessdate=6 June 2011}}

References

{{Reflist}}