VirusTotal is a free service that lets users scan their computers for malware without going through the hassle of installing a tool into their system. All a user need to do is to feed in the URL or share the file on the company website and “Scan it” to assess how secure the content is. Sounds simple, but is a big help to users online, especially as more and more online threats come to light. This acquisition may have cost millions of dollars to Google, but gives them a foot in the door into the field of web security. It also helps that these companies were already partners before the formal acquisition. Even though Google has acquired the company, it has assured users of its plans to keep VirusTotal’s technology active, and learn security essentials from its employees. Given how Google is continuously providing innovations to serve their customers better, maybe now that security has become their latest forte, we can definitely look forward to major improvements in web security as well.
