Companies are misusing its virus scanner Alphabet Inc and inadvertently leaking data, such as factory designs according to Israeli cybersecurity company Otorio Ltd.
Additionally company said it discovered thousands of unprotected files from pharmaceutical, automobile and food industry companies. The archives were identified as part of a research project malware recorded by Whole virus, owned by Alphabet.
Otorio's general manager, Daniel Bren, said the findings could help to design a constructive hack, as files were found that gave a "bolt" to penetrate production. The business secrets of the companies are in these plans.
Alphabet's Virus Total does it documents scans available to cybersecurity companies and researchers to improve malware detection. It is common practice for businesses to scan incoming files for malware, but often teams security upload files without understanding either the terms of use or the potential risk.
Otorio contacted Virus Total about its findings in July. Then, he agreed that awareness should be raised about how the service should work and how security applications should be regulated. The idea was to make the industrial sector aware of the problem.
Researchers working in academia and cybersecurity companies can access the uploaded data if they are first examined and meet specific criteria, including non-commercial use of the information. As malicious researchers can easily abuse this important service and publish documents.
Virus Total checks all clients before granting them access data. When clients who abuse the data are found they are completely cut off.
Virus Total belonged to Google from 2012 and then moved to Alphabet.
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