Cloud Antivirus Security Startup Immunet Appoints Dr. Zulfikar Ramzan as Chief Scientist

PALO ALTO, Calif., Aug. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Immunet, the developer of next-generation cloud-based security and AntiVirus technologies, today announced that Dr. Zulfikar Ramzan has joined the company as Chief Scientist.  Dr. Ramzan is a leading industry expert in architecting next-generation reputation-based technologies that utilize large-scale data mining and machine learning techniques. Dr. Ramzan will be in charge of furthering the efficacy of Immunet's core cloud-based security software, including its free cloud antivirus security product, Immunet Protect 2.0 which launched in June 2010 and has been installed by over 450,000 people.

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Prior to joining Immunet, Dr. Ramzan was Technical Director and Architect of Symantec's Security Technology and Response division. While there, he architected Symantec's Reputation-based security technology (codenamed Quorum), which comprises a fundamental part of the company's consumer and enterprise security offerings.

On joining Immunet, Dr. Ramzan says, "Over the years we have learned a tremendous amount about the threat landscape and what consumers need in an AntiVirus solution. To provide our customers with comprehensive and effective protection, we have to apply cutting-edge algorithms and advanced mathematics. We also benefit from powerful technology trends, such as moving security intelligence into the cloud and leveraging social networking to protect large communities of users in real-time."

"I am incredibly excited to have the chance to build an antivirus solution from the ground up," said Zulfikar.  "Moreover, being able to execute on this vision with such an outstanding team is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," he added.  As the latest addition to the Immunet team, he joins Founder Oliver Friedrichs and VP of Engineering Alfred Huger as well as cloud security expert Dr. Adam O'Donnell.

"I am excited that Zulfikar will be leading Immunet's efforts to build advanced security technology. He will be a critical asset to Immunet's leadership team and will help us take the company to the next stage as we increase our product efficacy and market penetration in the antivirus space," says Oliver Friedrichs, Immunet Founder and CEO.

Dr. Ramzan is considered an authority on emerging threat landscape trends including malware, phishing, online fraud, web attacks and Web 2.0 security.  Dr. Ramzan is also a recognized expert in the field of cryptography; he has co-authored over 50 technical articles, and two books including Crimeware: Understanding New Attacks and Defenses (Addison-Wesley Professional, 2008).  He has over 50 patent applications related to various aspects of antimalware/anti-virus, reputation-based technologies, information security, mobile wireless computing, digital rights management, authentication mechanisms, and secure transaction systems, of which 11 patents have been granted.  

Dr. Ramzan is a frequent public speaker and has briefed numerous media outlets including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, and Reuters as well as members of the United States Congress and foreign nationals on cyber-security trends and issues. He was selected as General Chair of CRYPTO 2010, the 30th International Cryptology Conference to be held at the University of California, Santa Barbara August 15-19, 2010.

Dr. Ramzan holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and completed his thesis under Professor Ronald L. Rivest, a pioneer in cryptography and the inventor of the RSA public-key cryptosystem.  You can follow Zulfikar on Twitter @zulfikar_ramzan.

Add Zulfikar to Your Immunet Protection Community

Immunet offers real-time cloud-based antivirus software that is compatible with existing security products and is available through a free download from Immunet's site. Any Immunet Protect user can add Dr. Ramzan to their Immunet Community simply by typing in "zulfikar @ immunet.com" from the Immunet Community panel's "Add People" link. Each new member who detects a threat immediately protects all other Immunet Community members through Immunet's Collective Immunity™ technology.

About Immunet

Immunet was founded in July 2008 by AntiVirus industry veterans to address a sweeping shift in the Internet threat landscape, partly due to the rising popularity of social networks. Immunet utilizes the latest advances in computing, including cloud security technology, community-based protection, and collective intelligence concepts combined with web-based Software as a Service deployment. Immunet Protect 2.0 is a free, cloud-based companion antivirus download that provides real-time antimalware protection against over 14 million threats daily. Immunet Protect 2.0 launched commercially in June 2010 and received a 4.5 Star review by CNET Editors.

To connect with Immunet please visit www.immunet.com, follow us on Twitter @immunet or visit the Immunet Facebook Fan Page.

Collective Immunity(TM) is a registered trademark of Immunet Corporation.

SOURCE Immunet Corporation