Bringing together for the first time a large back-catalogue of malware, computer underground related information and IT security resources under one project, the Malware Distribution Project ("MD:Pro") also contains a large selection of undetected malware, along with an open, collaborative platform, where malware samples can be shared among its members.

What is MD:Pro?
In a nutshell, MD:Pro is a massive IT security archive with a vast collection of downloadable malware, for the purposes of analysis, testing, research and development. The malware downloads are accessible on a paid subscription basis, and are offered only to corporate customers (preferably with a specific need for a service such as this, i.e. an IT security solutions provider, etc.), with a few exceptions.

It should be noted that we are not a malware/VX distribution site, nor do we condone the public spreading and/or distribution of such information, hence we will be vetting our registrants stringently. We do appreciate that this puts a severe restriction on private (individual) malware researchers and enthusiasts with limited or no budget, but we do feel that providing free malware for public research is out of the scope of this project.

Why was MD:Pro conceived?
We have decided to come up with a service such as MD:Pro because we felt the security industry long needed an environment such as MD:Pro; and the interest/feedback we have had so far certainly confirms this theory. Computer criminals have had access to structured malware repositories for years, whereas the security industry never even had one reputable research and development resource. While the anti-virus industry has had file exchange mechanisms in place for years, the exclusivity of this approach has all other security providers spending enormous amounts of time, money and effort to gather resources for R & D and testing purposes. This is where we envisage the role of MD:Pro; to give security researchers the room to concentrate on developing solutions, instead of spending valuable time trying to track down malware samples. Key benefits are:

* A single, secure, and reliable download resource
* Vast amounts of historical data, along with the very latest malware sources
* Custom system, designed to provide maximum benefit to anti-malware research staff
* Contents updated and maintained continuously by skilled security engineers
* Systems monitored 24 x 7 for maximum possible uptime and availability
* A non-public list, made available for the purposes of analysis, testing, research & development

Do you have the latest variant of a worm or virus?
We do have a lot of malware in our collection, some even with source code; but we do not always have the very latest, as we do depend on what is harvested, traded or in some cases, given/donated to us. This means that we do not always have the very latest threats available the moment they come out in the wild. We do not, can not and will not compete with a specialist like Symantec let's say, with researchers and research centres around the world scanning 24x7 for the latest threats. This may change in the future though, we are working on it.

We are currently concentrating on getting out our huge archive out there, and start off more as a trusted R & D resource than a 0-day resource, per se. As an example, we already have some prospects lining up to use MD:Pro as a 'historical malware database', to test the systems they are currently developing against the content we have. And yes, we do try to have each and every variant of worms, trojans and viruses, including undetected/tampered versions, if possible with source code, made available to you. But we cannot commit to providing you with a sample of every new 0-day threat, yet.

Additional Information
MD:Pro is a service conceived and operated by Frame4 Security Services, a subsidiary of the Frame4 Group. Founded in 2006 in Alphen aan den Rijn, The Netherlands, Frame4 Security Services currently dedicates its resources entirely on the development, operation and support of MD:Pro. For more information, please visit the MD:Pro web site.