Varist launches its Hybrid Detection Engine™, the world’s first hyperscale malware detection solution capable of identifying both known and previously unseen (zero-day) threats in real time at massive scale. Built on technology that already performs more than 500 billion file scans daily for global customers, the engine combines instant scanning of every file with ultra-fast behavioral simulation, delivering high-efficacy detection while significantly reducing costs compared to traditional sandboxing.
Varist addresses the escalating challenge of AI-accelerated malware campaigns that overwhelm legacy detection systems. Traditional signature-based tools and sandboxes cannot scale to inspect every file in motion or keep pace with self-evolving threats generated by agentic AI.
“Traditional methods for detecting unknown malware assume no solution can scale to scan every file and that conventional sandboxing is too slow and too costly to execute against every potential threat,” said Varist founder Hallgrímur Th. Björnsson. “Agentic AI creates complex, self-evolving threats, so providers need a more scalable and cost-effective way to find known and zero-day threats, without bombarding response teams with false positives.”
File-centric malware hides within legitimate traffic at volumes far beyond what point-in-time sandboxes or signature engines can handle. Varist’s Hybrid Detection Engine inspects and simulates behavior on every file in real time without disrupting business processes. By combining heuristics with dynamic behavioral analysis at the edge, it stops threats early, minimizes false positives through precise risk scoring, and prevents overwhelming security operations centers.
"The increased use of and potential for AI to create and execute malware campaigns could completely overwhelm conventional detection systems sooner rather than later,” said Mike Fleck, a 20-year cybersecurity industry veteran. “Security stacks will not only need to detect known threats at greater scale, but also detect novel threats in near real-time.”
Unlike cloud-based detection services that may transmit files externally, Varist’s solution runs fully on-premise within the customer’s environment. This architecture ensures sensitive data never leaves the organization’s control, supporting strict data residency, sovereignty, and compliance requirements.
Varist’s proven technology already safeguards billions of mailboxes globally through OEM integrations. The Hybrid Detection Engine extends this capability to hyperscalers, SASE platforms, and enterprise security providers seeking economical, high-fidelity protection against the next generation of AI-powered threats.
About Varist
With a decades-long track record for malware detection innovation, Varist technology protects more than five billion mailboxes worldwide. Headquartered in Iceland, the company maintains a local presence and customer and investor relationships worldwide. Varist’s hyperscale malware detection solutions combine heuristics and real-time dynamic behavioral analysis for economical, AI-driven detection of known and unknown threats.
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