NordVPN launches its third experimental product from the NordLabs platform. File Checker is an online tool that scans different types of files for malware and viruses. It helps to prevent malicious codes invading user’s devices through infected or corrupted files downloaded online.
“Hackers have long proven their talent for disguising malware with legitimate-looking files. But the boom of artificial intelligence and development of large language models has enabled cybercriminals to build and distribute malware faster and easier. But as hackers become more resourceful, so does the cybersecurity industry. Tools like File Checker can help users remain secure online,” says Vykintas Maknickas, head of product strategy at NordVPN.
Using File Checker is free of charge, does not require any registration or subscriptions, and is easy to use. Users should simply upload the suspicious file to the tool to check whether the file might be a threat. If the file is safe to open, File Checker will notify that it shows no signs of malicious activity. If that’s not the case, the tool will alert that the file might be malicious.
Despite the easy-to-use interface, the technology behind File Checker is much more complex. Whenever a user uploads a file to File Checker, the tool calculates the file’s hash in the browser and sends it to NordLabs’ backend. Here, it’s checked against a huge database of known malicious file hashes. The NordLabs file hashes database is analyzed and curated using machine learning, AI, and other advanced techniques, offering extensive, up-to-date results.
It’s important to note that NordVPN is fully committed to the highest cybersecurity and privacy standards, thus the file doesn’t leave the user’s computer throughout the whole checking process.
“We believe that File Checker will become an extremely valuable tool for the internet community to manually check a file already downloaded to the computer. But if the user wants to check a number of files at once or needs file checking service constantly, one should consider using the Threat Protection Pro feature,” says Vykintas Maknickas.
Threat Protection Pro is a cybersecurity product that allows you to check files for malware and viruses even before they land on your device. Powered by AI solutions, Threat Protection automatically scans the file you download and blocks it if the tool detects anything malicious within the file. Additionally, the tool also blocks malicious websites, stops trackers, and prevents intrusive ads from popping onto your screen.
According to the recent research, users should be particularly careful when downloading files with “.exe”, “.zip”, “.php”, “.dll”, and “.pdf” file extensions as they are mostly used to harbor malware.
File Checker is the third experimental product developed by NordLabs, a platform to explore emerging technologies and create new tools and services. The platform allows exclusive access to innovative projects developed by the NordVPN team of developers. In January, NordVPN launched Link Checker to protect users from malicious websites. Last year, the company presented AI phishing assistant, an AI-enabled browser extension to help internet users detect phishing emails and protect themselves from cybercrime.