AVIEN - What's it all about?

For many years, security specialists around the world working to defend their organizations against attacks from viruses, worms and other forms of malware had essentially two choices if they wanted to learn more about this topic: work in relative isolation or be invited to join a vendor-oriented group. The vendor-oriented groups (CARO, REVS, V-FORUM, AVPD, etc.) were designed from the beginning to respond to the need to share information, but membership was usually restricted to those who worked for an AV software vendor or occasional corporate employees and university researchers who were invited to join to share their insights.

For the vast majority of specialists working in large organizations on malware defense, there was little hope of entering that circle. They could read the few books on the subject that were published, try to sift some information out of the noise on USENET groups like alt.comp.virus, take training from vendors, and do their own research. Meanwhile, the complexity of mounting defenses grew constantly, as more and more operating systems and networks were subject to malware attack.

The time was ripe to approach this problem in a more holistic manner.

From a simple gathering during the cocktail hour

In the fall of 2000, some attendees at an Anti-Virus conference gathered during the opening cocktail hour and started discussing the need for better sources of up-to-date information and resources for dealing with malware threats. They wanted to stop re-inventing the wheel and to learn from the efforts of other anti-virus specialists.

They also wanted a forum where they could talk openly about their issues concerning AV companies and products.

During Robert Vibert's presentation on Anti-Virus solution deployment in enterprise environments, he offered to coordinate the formation of a group of like-minded people to discuss these topics. Inside AVIEN, we fondly refer to this as our "conception". During the remainder of the conference, people pressed their business cards into his hands and he diligently filed them in his pockets.

A few weeks later, he contacted these people to confirm that they were really interested in collaborating like this. The response was overwhelmingly in favor of advancing, and as a result, the world witnessed the formation (birth) of a closed, private network which proceeded to make a real mark on the world of malware defense.

AVIEN has become a dynamic grassroots network of specialists who assist each other daily and save their organizations thousands of dollars each year. Every day, AVIEN members talk with each other about the latest hot topics in dealing with malware. Common problems are discussed, ideas, insights and comments shared, to the benefit of all.

AVIEN, in 2003 was also the catalyst for the formation of an Anti-Virus Information & Early Warning System (AVIEWS) which for the first time widened the scope of AVIEN to encompass not only people in large organizations, but vendors and smaller organizations as well.

In recent years, the traditional barrier between the Anti-malware vendor world and the corporate anti-malware defense administrator has all but disappeared, and the new malware threatscape has meant that the world is in an almost constant state of malware 'outbreak'. Because of these, it was decided that it no longer made sense to have two distinct groups with largely the same membership (AVIEN being a subset of AVIEWS members) and the decision was taken to re-merge the two, and to remove the traditional restrictions to AVIEN membership.

On April 14th 2008, the 'merger' took effect, essentially forming a new group under the name of AVIEN and over the course of 2008 the resources of the two groups will be consolidated around this new website at avien.net. All members in good standing automatically become members of the new AVIEN group.

The name AVIEN was chosen for the new group, to recognise the history and spirit of the original group, and the pioneering work of its inaugural members, but also as the name has almost always been used as shorthand for either group by members, media and the general public. Not only that, but recently the AVIEN Malware Defense Guide was published by Syngress, containing the amassed knowledge of the AVIEN and AVIEWS membership.

Hosting and Administration

ByteMatrix Limited took over the administration of AVIEN/AVIEWS from Segura Solutions on the 20th of December 2003, and is the current hosting and administration company for AVIEN.