FRISK Software International

FRISK Software International (established in 1993) was an Icelandic software company that developed F-Prot antivirus and F-Prot AVES antivirus and anti-spam service. The company was founded in 1993. It was acquired by Cyren in 2012.

FRISK Software International
TypePrivate
IndustrySoftware, Computer Security, Security software
FateAcquired on August 2012
SuccessorCYREN
FoundedReykjavík, 1993
FounderFriðrik Skúlason
HeadquartersReykjavík, Iceland
Key people
Friðrik Skúlason (Chief Research Officer)
Vesselin Bontchev
ProductsF-Prot Antivirus
F-Prot AVES
Espólín
Púki
Websitefrisk.is

History

The company was founded in 1993.[1] Its name is derived from the initial letters of the personal name and patronymic of Friðrik Skúlason, its founder.[2] Dr. Vesselin Vladimirov Bontchev, a computer expert from Bulgaria, best known for his research on the Dark Avenger virus, worked for the company as an anti-virus researcher.[3]

F-Prot Antivirus was first released in 1989, making it one of the longest lived anti-virus brands on the market.[4] It was the world's first with a heuristic engine.[2] It is sold in both home and corporate packages, of which there are editions for Windows and Linux. There are corporate versions for Microsoft Exchange, Solaris, and certain IBM eServers.[5][6] The Linux version is available to home users free of charge, with virus definition updates. Free 30-day trial versions for other platforms can be downloaded. F-Prot AVES is specifically targeted towards corporate users.[7]

The company has also produced a genealogy program called Espólín[8][9] and Púki, a spellchecker with additional features.[10]

In Summer of 2012, FRISK was acquired by Cyren, an Israeli-American provider of security products.[1][11]

F-Prot Antivirus
F-Prot Antivirus
Developer(s)FRISK Software International
Stable release
6.0.9.6 / 29 November 2011 (2011-11-29)[12]
Operating systemMicrosoft Windows, Microsoft Exchange, Linux, BSD, Solaris, AIX, IBM eServers, *nix
TypeAntivirus software
LicenseProprietary
Websitewww.f-prot.com

F-Prot Antivirus (stylized F-PROT) is an antivirus product developed by FRISK Software International.[13] It is available in related versions for several platforms. It is available for Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Exchange Server, Linux, Solaris, AIX and IBM eServers.

FRISK Software International allows others to develop applications using their scanning engine, through the use of a SDK. Many software vendors use the F-Prot Antivirus engine, including SUSE.

CYREN announced July 31st 2021 as the end-of-life date for F-Prot Antivirus.[14]

Friðrik Skúlason

Friðrik Skúlason, also sometimes known as "Frisk", is the founder of FRISK Software International and one of the founding members of CARO (Computer Antivirus Research Organization). He originally developed F-Prot Antivirus while doing computer support work. He was, for many years, the technical editor of the Virus Bulletin.[15][16] Skúlason served as the head of FRISK Software International until its eventual acquisition by Cyren in 2012, after which he joined Cyren as the vice-president of Antivirus technologies.

See also

References
  1. Wauters, Robin (August 1, 2012). "An Icelandic exit: Commtouch acquires FRISK's antivirus business". The Next Web. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  2. "Helping You Protect Your Computer Since 1993" (PDF) (Press release). FRISK Software International. 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  3. Anthes, Gary (April 1, 2002). "Good Viruses?". Computerworld. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  4. Bidwell, Teri; Cross, Michael; Russell, Ryan (2002). Hack Proofing Your Identity In The Information Age. Syngress Publishing, Inc. p. 62. ISBN 1-931836-51-5.
  5. "F-Prot Antivirus Products - Detailed product information on F-Prot Antvirus for Windows, Linux, BSD..." (.htm). FRISK. Retrieved March 14, 2006.
  6. "F-Prot Antivirus Products - Detailed product information on F-Prot Antvirus for Windows, Linux, BSD..." (.htm). FRISK. Retrieved March 14, 2006.
  7. "F-Prot Antivirus Products - Detailed product information on F-Prot Antivirus for Windows, Linux, BSD..." (.htm). FRISK. Retrieved March 14, 2006.
  8. "Friðrik Skúlason ehf" (.htm). FRISK. Retrieved March 14, 2006.
  9. named after Jón Espólín, an 18th-century magistrate of Snæfellsnes.
  10. "Púki 2007". FRISK. Archived from the original (.htm) on April 5, 2008. Retrieved April 25, 2008.
  11. Leyden, John (August 1, 2012). "The Register, Commtouch gulps down Icelandic anti-virus pioneer FRISK". The Register. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  12. "Current versions of F-PROT Antivirus". Retrieved 2016-10-06.
  13. Gregory, Peter H. (2004). Computer Viruses For Dummies. Wiley Publishing, Inc. p. 258. ISBN 0-7645-7418-3.
  14. "F-PROT Antivirus EOL Announcement". CYREN. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  15. "Interview with Fridrik Skulason". netlux.org. Archived from the original (.htm) on 2005-02-09.
  16. "A Public letter to the University of Calgary" (.htm). FRISK.
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