VirIT turns 30!!!

In 1993 the first version of VirIT was distributed to the public in shareware mode. With great happiness we are here to celebrate 30 years of the "made in Italy" VirIT anti-virus.

The development of VirIT began  in 1992, and after about a year of work, the first version 0.93 of VirIT for DOS was distributed.

How the TG Soft company was born and the anti-virus product VirIT was created

In the early 1990s, the future founders of TG Soft Gianfranco and Enrico Tonello, computer enthusiasts first and valiant engineering students later, found themselves infected with a computer virus, StarDot.600, which stretched files by 600 bytes. Each time an infected file was run an additional file was infected. At the time, the few available Anti Viruses were unable to identify and remove it from the affected files. The problem lasted for months. They then began to study this strange phenomenon by analyzing the virus code and then proceeding to the subsequent creation of the first software aimed to identify and remove the viral code from the infected file, restoring it to its original length and functionality.

This "great" achievement for the time, convinced them to offer these types of analysis services and ad hoc solutions. At first they propose their services within the banking circuit through ISTINFORM S.p.A., an information technology company owned by the Italian commercial banks circuit (1990-1993 period). After the anlysis of most of the new generation viruses really circulating in banking environment and  the devlopment of software for their identification and  removal, they decided to start making AntiVirus software with a proprietary engine.

From VirIT for Dos® to Vir.IT eXplorer for Windows®.

The founders' desire to begin marketing VirIT for DOS led to the creation of TG Soft in 1992 as individual company.
VirIT for DOS had a windows interface and supported the mouse, which, for the time, compared to simplistic command-line functionality, was certainly a significant plus in terms of usability.

In 1995 Microsoft introduced the new OS. Windows®

This new O.S. developed with windows interface antagonistic to MacOs,  led also TG Soft to advance VirIT for Dos by creating the new release of Vir.IT, called Vir.IT eXplorer integrated and made for this new operating system.
The first releases of Vir.IT eXplorer were made available in late 1996 more or less a year after the introduction of the new S.O. Win95.

Vir.IT eXplorer was created in the very first instance by migrating the Assembly language code of VirIT's engine for Dos (very effective, fast, elastic, and performant) to "C" language, since the new operating system no longer allowed parts of the code to be used in Assembly.
In the period of transition from VirIT for DOS to the new Vir.IT native eXplorer for Windows®, 16-bit VirIT for Dos continued to be marketed, which still continued to work excellently in Dos  emulation mode on computers with Windows 95/98® O.S.

1998 From TG Soft individual firm to TG Soft S.a.s. for the marketing of Vir.IT eXplorer PRO

In 1998, given the increasing sale of user licenses of VirIT for Dos® first and Vir.IT eXplorer PRO for Windows® TG Soft was transformed from individual firm into a partnership: TG Soft S.a.s. di Tonello Gianfranco & C. was born.

"TG Soft's philosophy is the marketing of a product/service. We have always maintained, ever since the Dos version, that an Antivirus software is NOT just a product but must necessarily be a product-service. The goal is NOT to abandon the customer just after purchase, but to support him/her at the time of actual need".

Studying threats to understand how they work, is a primary activity to develop a software for real-time protection, virus/malware identification, removal/elimination. From these premises, TG Soft's C.R.A.M. (Anti-Malware Research Center) was born.

According to TG Soft Cyber Security Specialist's philosophy, Vir.IT eXplorer PRO can't be considered a "simple" AntiVirus like any other, but a Product/Service seeking to respond dynamically to threats encountered by the user, providing customers with e-mail, telephone and remote technical support service to pre-emptively verify anomalous situations reported by the Vir.IT eXplorer PRO suite, or any anomalous situations encountered by the user.

These checks are carried out in TG Soft by qualified staff with established experience, headed by Researchers and analysts with over 30 years of experience in this field, who are therefore able to detect even next-generation viruses, spyware, malware and ransomware... that is, not yet detected by the most common/used AV software in use.

2006 the breakthrough year for Vir.IT eXplorer PRO... 

After a great deal of work to improve both the scanning engine and the real-time resident protection modules, in 2006 the rise of a new type of malware, later classified as RootKit, enabled us to acquire a large number of new resellers and direct customers.
The reasons for this growth are related to the fact that Vir.IT eXplorer was, probably, the first AV software capable of identifying and removing the dreaded RootKit (https://www.tgsoft.it/italy/glossario.asp#Rootkit) and remained so for a not insignificant period (not less than 9/12 months).

For more info on rootkits we recommend the following C.R.A.M. information:

25/01/2006 - New JS worm coming from Gmail or Hotmail
è(https://www.tgsoft.it/italy/news_archivio.asp?id=75)

15/06/2006 - Beware of Rootkit infections generated by LinkOptimizer and Trojan.Win32.Agent.AAZ
è(http://www.tgsoft.it/italy/news_archivio.asp?id=103)

03/07/2006 - New variant Trojan.Win32.RootKit.E generated by LinkOptimizer and Trojan.Win32.Agent.ACH
è(https://www.tgsoft.it/italy/news_archivio.asp?id=105)

07/07/2006 - How to delete the Trojan.Win32.RootKit.D e .E 
è (https://www.tgsoft.it/italy/news_archivio.asp?id=106) - How to delete the Trojan.Win32.RootKit.D e .E

04/09/2006 - VirIT 6.1.13 automatically removes Gromozon rootkit
è(https://www.tgsoft.it/italy/news_archivio.asp?id=113)

Rootkits are malware that have had their gradual spread from 2006 to 2012/2013 and have reached, their maximum technological advancement  up to now  with two very advanced types called TDL3 and TDL4 analyzed by TG Soft's C.R.A.M.  (these analyses are public):

30/01/2011 - New Vir.IT eXplorer features: introduced advanced techniques for automatic removal of TDL3 and TDL4 variants
è https://www.tgsoft.it/italy/news_archivio.asp?id=401

12/04/2011 - Comparative tests on automatic identification and removal of TDL3 and TDL4 variants
è https://www.tgsoft.it/italy/news_archivio.asp?id=414

01/05/2012 - Actual circulating virus/malware statistics April 2012...
èhttps://www.tgsoft.it/italy/news_archivio.asp?id=488

Since 2011, Vir.IT eXplorer has begun passing international tests by some of the most prestigious globally recognized Certification organizations

The AntiVirus Vir.IT eXplorer software, since 2011 has been continuously subjected, to some international tests by major international brands, so that even the excellent Vir.IT eXplorer can be recognized by third and independent parties, as effective.

The international tests passed systematically by Vir.IT eXplorer are:

·     Since 2016 VB100 Certification carried out by Virus Bulletin (English certification body based in London, probably the first one recognized worldwide)

è Vir.IT eXplorer PRO and VB100 => Vir.IT eXplorer PRO has passed tests steadily since 2016...

            ð https://www.tgsoft.it/certifications/vb100.asp

·     Since 2017 Certification ICSA Labs the independent division of Verizon®(American certifying body based in Mechanicsburg, Microsoft's preferred test)

02/10/2017 -  Vir.IT eXplorer PRO -AntiVirus, AntiSpyware, AntiMalware- obtained ICSA Labs certification in the antivirus category.

ð https://www.tgsoft.it/certifications/ICSALabs.asp

28/02/2022 -   TG Soft S.r.l. Cyber Security Specialist, winner of the Excellence in Information Security Testing (EIST) award, issued by ICSA Labs to those security software vendors who continuously test their products and maintain security certifications year after year, raising the high quality standard of security products.
Vir.IT eXplorer PRO, through ICSA Labs' rigorous security testing earned the "5-Year Excellence in Testing Security Award Winner for 2021".

ð https://www.tgsoft.it/news/news_archivio.asp?id=1301

·     As of 2019 DeceptorFighters AV product certification, issued by Seattle-based American company AppEsteem

10/04/2019 -   Vir.IT eXplorer PRO passes the test carried out by AppEsteem for DeceptorFighters AV products

                                  ð https://www.tgsoft.it/certifications/AppEsteem.asp

·     Since 2012, TG Soft has been a technology partner of OPSWAT (San Francisco US) as it has integrated VirIT scanning engine into the METASCAN platform. Moreover  in 2020 it awarded Vir.IT eXplorer the highest level of Certification -PLATINUM (2020).

08/07/2022 -  Vir.IT eXplorer 9.5.x awarded by OPSWAT with the "PLATINUM certification for Anti-Malware"!!! => OpsWat, a leader in technology security, reaffirms this year's PLATINUM 2022 certification of Vir.IT eXplorer AntiVirus-AntiSpyware-AntiMalware-AntiRansomware 9.5.x release.

                                   ð https://www.tgsoft.it/news/news_archivio.asp?id=1324

In 2021, the Vir.IT eXplorer scanning engine is incorporated into the VirusTotal multiscanner platform

Since 2021 Vir.IT eXplorer PRO has joined VirusTotal!!!
TG Soft is pleased to announce that Vir.IT eXplorer PRO with its own search engine, joins the world's best-known free search service for viruses, worms, Trojans and other malicious content : VirusTotal!

VirusTotal's goal is to make the Internet a safer place through the collaboration of antivirus software manufacturers, researchers and end users of all kinds.

TG Soft develops AntiRansomware technologies Crypto-Malware protection

As of May 2015, TG Soft has developed and integrated into the Vir.IT eXplorer PRO suite the AntiRansomware Crypto-Malware protection technologies that, through the heuristic-behavioral approach,  block the encryption process at the initial stage of the attack saving, on average, no less than 99.63% of the data files potentially encrypted without this protection.

Also as a last parachute for some data files that were neither restorable nor recoverable by the integrated restore/recovery tools you can restore them from Vir.IT BackUp built in the Vir.IT eXplorer PRO suite.


From 1993 to today, from Dos® version to Vir.IT eXplorer PRO for Windows®, birth and growth of TG Soft S.r.l. a leading company in the industry, as well as internationalization of Vir.IT eXplorer PRO (certified by major international bodies: ICSA Labs, VB100, OPSWAT and AppEsteem). 30 years of research and passion for Cyber Security, 30 years of continuous commitment and many satisfactions.

Special thanks to all the customers, dealers and employees who, with their support, have contributed to the achievement of this wonderful result.
Thus, a new year opens, 2024, which we hope will be full of new perspectives and new goals to be achieved.





TG Soft - External Relations