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VirusTotal
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<p>VirusTotal is a <a href="/facts/Website/SAsjJnca">website</a> created by the Spanish security <a href="/facts/Company/psBVz9jr">company</a> Hispasec Sistemas. Launched in June 2004, it was acquired by <a href="/facts/Google/GT9Sugza">Google</a> in September 2012. The company's ownership switched in January 2018 to <a href="/facts/Chronicle_(company)/shg7wnFA">Chronicle</a>, a subsidiary of <a href="/facts/Google/GT9Sugza">Google</a>. </p><p>VirusTotal's modus operandi is <a href="/facts/Multiscanning/RHR5kalo">multiscanning</a>. It aggregates many <a href="/facts/Antivirus_software/GGMqsfkJ">antivirus</a> products and online scan <a href="/facts/Software_engine/QhIAMMBg">engines</a> called Contributors. In November, 2018, the Cyber National Mission Force, a unit subordinate to the <a href="/facts/United_States_Cyber_Command/G09JxTAm">U.S. Cyber Command</a> became a Contributor. The <a href="/facts/Aggregate_data/yh9D5zaP">aggregated data</a> from these Contributors allows a user to check for viruses that the user's own antivirus software may have missed, or to verify against any <a href="/facts/Antivirus_software/GGMqsfkJ">false positives</a>. Files up to 650 MB can be uploaded to the website, or sent via email (max. 32MB). Anti-virus software vendors can receive copies of files that were flagged by other scans but passed by their own engine, to help improve their software and, by extension, VirusTotal's own capability. Users can also scan suspect <a href="/facts/URL/pPD5g7Wq">URLs</a> and search through the VirusTotal dataset. VirusTotal uses the Cuckoo <a href="/facts/Sandbox_(computer_security)/WEm2u7oG">sandbox</a> for dynamic analysis of <a href="/facts/Malware/5ee7TLFR">malware</a>. VirusTotal was selected by <i><a href="/facts/PC_World_(magazine)/GNhThM8d">PC World</a></i> as one of the best 100 products of 2007. </p><p>On July 2023, VirusTotal issued an apology after one of its staff unintentionally exposed the private information belonging to 5,600 VirusTotal's customers, including the email addresses of <a href="/facts/United_States_Cyber_Command/G09JxTAm">US Cyber Command</a>, <a href="/facts/Federal_Bureau_of_Investigation/UY93jwX6">FBI</a>, and <a href="/facts/National_Security_Agency/Sg6MGV1o">NSA</a> employees. </p>