Meet our Network Operation Center. Its main display is an enormous world map that constantly receives new information about malware threats from over 400 million sensors around the globe. The map displays points of light, representative of the cities in which our protected users reside. (User location is approximated from their IP addresses.) The info this map receives essentially arrives in real time, or within four seconds. When a threat is detected, we immediately take action to identify and block the cyberattack. This aggressively proactive defense is necessary, and it’s made possible using AI-based and machine learning technology—what we call “next-gen cybersecurity.”

We track threats and their trajectories. They appear as lines arcing across the map, launching from one location and aiming for another. Cyber-missiles. We’re cognizant that a threat’s place of origin can be deceiving—hackers have grown adept at manipulating another user’s system to fire off DDoS attacks and the like—but all the data collected is useful to keep a step ahead, ensuring our users stay protected. We stream updates every day to our customers to provide up-to-the-minute protection.

The map allows us to take prompt action. Quick timing is needed to stop a spreading malware threat. Stamping it out early is key, much like wildfires.

Wi-Fi protection

Our Wi-Fi Inspector scans home networks for vulnerabilities. If it identifies something malicious, we get a small, pulsing circle on the map. If a cluster of pulsing circles appears in any one area, we know that territory could be suffering an emergent malware threat. This, in turn, triggers us to take swift and intelligent action to shut that threat down.

Big data makes a big difference

So how do we know if the program you are about to run is good or evil? Thanks to our network’s AI-based machine learning, using the big data we collect from over 400 million users daily, we are able to share information throughout the network almost instantly. For example, if a malware attack breaks out in Australia, our sensors in that country identify and define the nature of the malware, and then in minutes, all our users around the globe are protected against it.

Our Threat Lab Operations Team works 24/7 to monitor our Network Operation Center and ensure that all threats are addressed, managed, and extinguished. We live for this.

Learn more at MWCA

Come to MWCA and visit the Avast booth to meet Michal Salat, Director of Avast Threat Intelligence. Michal is looking forward to sharing more about how our Network Operation Center tracks threats 24/7, and how this type of next-gen cybersecurity ensures that our users are protected every day with optimized security.