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[IMPORTANT] Registration Server will be regularly maintenance on 2024-04-12 (2:30 pm) to 2024-04-12 (6:30 am)

IMPORTANT !

ESET planned to maintain which will take place on
Friday, April 12th, 2024, from 2:30 PM to 6:30 PM, Hong Kong Time lasting 4 hours.

It means in certain time within the maintenance window, customers might not renewal purchase, activate license or generate license, etc.

Sorry for any inconveniences caused.

Support Hotline: (65) – 6296 4268
Or email to support@version-2.com.sg

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Limited is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company develops and distributes IT products for Internet and IP-based networks, including communication systems, Internet software, security, network, and media products. Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 Limited offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

[IMPORTANT] Registration Server will be regularly maintenance on 2024-02-17 (04:00 pm) to 2024-02-18 (04:00 am)

IMPORTANT !

ESET planned Network Core Infrastructure maintenance in ESET HQ which will take place on
Saturday, February 17th, 2024, from 4:00 PM to Sunday, February 18th, 2024, 4:00 AM, Hong Kong Time lasting 12 hours.

The impact of this outage covers ALMOST ALL ESET services, regardless internal or external.
It means in certain time within the maintenance window, customers might not place orders, activate license or generate license, etc.

That means Order System, Check Key, Key activation and eStore all affected.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Limited is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company develops and distributes IT products for Internet and IP-based networks, including communication systems, Internet software, security, network, and media products. Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 Limited offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

VEGAS Creative Software Launches VEGAS Pro 21 and Partners with Boris FX to Include Mocha Planar Tracking

Introducing AI-Supported Masking and Compositing, Advanced VFX Framework

Madison, Wisconsin – VEGAS Creative Software announced today a major new upgrade to their flagship cloud-enabled software for video/audio editing, compositing and effects. VEGAS Pro 21 provides an improved, streamlined and more accessible content creation experience for the global creator community. The new version introduces a number of advanced features and workflow enhancements that add significant improvements to the VEGAS Pro workflow and creative possibilities for users.

VEGAS Creative Software also announced, in partnership with Boris FX, the release of Mocha VEGAS, a version of the Emmy award-winning motion tracking product specifically designed for VEGAS Pro 21. Launched directly from the VEGAS Pro interface, Mocha VEGAS gives instant access to the same sophisticated planar tracking technology that has made Mocha an industry standard for content creators of all types, including Hollywood pros.

VEGAS Pro 21: Another Leap Forward for the Global Creator Community

VEGAS Pro 21 caters to the needs of today’s content creators with the introduction of a number of new features and capabilities that bring sophisticated video and audio editing tools to users of all skill levels, making them even more accessible with flexible new pricing models.

Key new features introduced in VEGAS Pro 21 include:

  • Mocha VEGAS Planar Tracker: Mocha VEGAS is a custom version of the Mocha planar tracking tool developed by Boris FX that integrates tightly into the VEGAS Pro workflow. Tracking data is readily available to be applied in various ways inside VEGAS Pro, allowing the built-in Motion Tracking or Stabilization tools to achieve truly impressive results.
  • Z-Depth OFX Plug-in and Compositor: The new Z-Depth tool in VEGAS Pro 21 enables artists to achieve advanced compositing results and flexible video effects handling. Powered by AI-based image analysis, it allows for instantly defining a foreground and a background layer, simply based on a variable threshold value -and then treating those layers differently. Creative options range from placing text between some foreground objects and the background of the same image, or giving the background independent effect treatment such as blur or color correction.
  • Smart Masking: Now out of beta, the new Smart Masking plug-in analyzes video frame by frame and, again powered by AI, precisely identifies and tracks moving objects. It automatically generates detailed input for the Bézier Masking plug-in, which can be added to the FX chain with a mask already in place, saving hours of work in advanced compositing tasks. The newly created masks are of course fully adjustable to manually correct for any inaccuracies.
  • Adjustment Events: This new feature enables adding effects to projects in very flexible and creative ways by extending the unique architecture of VEGAS Pro. Creators can add time-based adjustment events to a project and assign any combination of effects to them. Any video events in the timeline connected to the adjustment event will be subject to its effect processing, which can also be dialed in dynamically over time. This can be used to easily bring effects in and out, create sophisticated custom transitions, and much more.
  • Cloud-Based Text to Speech: VEGAS Pro Text to Speech functionality has been further optimized and is now powered by cloud computing and available to all VEGAS Pro subscribers across all of the product variants. Expanded functionality includes scores of additional languages, accents, tones and voices, and the ability to access new voices and features as soon as they are ready, without having to wait for a new update release of VEGAS Pro.
  • New Transitions and Effects: VEGAS Pro 21 comes with a number of impressive new effects for creative editing and compositing: The Offset and Wrap plug-in enables a variety of motion-based sliding, mirroring and wrapping effects, especially useful when paired with Adjustment Events to create exciting transitions. New GL Transition presets include Static Wipe, which adds an organic-looking static edge to the transition line between two clips, and Directional Scale, a very useful tool to transition between clips by moving and scaling them in conjunction with each other.
  • Quick Upload: The Quick Upload function enables uploading files from the computer or other devices to the VEGAS Hub File Drop collections. This allows for easy backups as well as working with your media files more easily across multiple devices, drastically reducing the time necessary to get them to the VEGAS Pro timeline.

The VEGAS Pro Lineup

VEGAS Creative Software caters to the diversity of content creators with a variety of products to meet their specific requirements and budget. The VEGAS Pro mission is to provide them with all the tools they need to realize their ideas from start to finish, without the need to launch third-party apps. VEGAS Pro 21 is available in three options:

VEGAS Pro Edit

Ideally suited for professional content creators, aspiring editors and even novices who want the pure VEGAS Pro editing experience, VEGAS Pro Edit includes:

  • VEGAS Pro 21
  • 20GB of cloud storage (available with subscription plan)
  • Cloud-based Text-to-Speech and Speech-to-Text (newly-available with subscription plan)
  • VEGAS Content: 20 royalty-free HD video / audio clips per month (with subscription plan)

 

VEGAS Pro Suite

Designed for aspiring and professional content creators like filmmakers, social media influencers, YouTubers, and others, VEGAS Pro Suite includes:

  • VEGAS Pro 21- full software
  • SOUND FORGE Audio Studio – complete audio editing solution
  • ACID Music Studio – loop-based music production
  • Mocha VEGAS – motion tracking software
  • Boris FX Primatte Studio – chroma keying software
  • 50GB of cloud storage (available with subscription plan)
  • Cloud-based Text-to-Speech and Speech-to-Text (newly-available with subscription plan)
  • VEGAS Content: 20 royalty-free HD video / audio clips per month (with subscription plan)

 

VEGAS Pro Post

Developed for content creators who require a complete video/audio editing and high-end compositing and RAW image compositing workflow experience, VEGAS Pro Post includes:

  • VEGAS Pro 21
  • VEGAS Effects for high-end compositing
  • VEGAS Image for RAW image compositing
  • SOUND FORGE Pro – professional audio editor
  • ACID Pro – creative loop-based DAW
  • Mocha VEGAS – motion tracking software
  • Boris FX Primatte Studio – chroma keying software
  • 100GB of cloud storage (available with subscription plan)
  • Cloud-based Text-to-Speech and Speech-to-Text (newly-available with subscription plan)
  • VEGAS Content: Unlimited access to royalty-free HD and 4K video and/or audio clip downloads (available with subscription plan)

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Limited is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company develops and distributes IT products for Internet and IP-based networks, including communication systems, Internet software, security, network, and media products. Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 Limited offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About VEGAS
Today, millions of VEGAS Pro and VEGAS Movie Studio users benefit from global industry-leading video editing technologies. Now, VEGAS launches into a new era. In May, 2016, MAGIX acquired the multiple award-winning VEGAS Pro and VEGAS Movie Studio product lines, along with other video and audio products. VEGAS Creative Software stands poised to take video editing to a new level. Our development teams in the US and Germany are working on innovative solutions to old problems, and building tools that push the boundaries of what’s currently possible. The VEGAS Creative Software mission: to make VEGAS software faster, more efficient, and even more intuitive. Our goal: to provide users at all levels–from video editing amateurs to creative professionals–tools that are perfectly suited to their needs and demands.

MAGIX Software GmbH Unveils New Strategy

MAGIX Software GmbH Unveils New Strategy to Democratize Audio and Video Creation, Announces Key Organizational Changes and Appoints Jeffrey Krebs as Chief Product Officer. 


05/10/23
MAGIX Software GmbH, a leading provider of audio and video software solutions, announces their new strategy and vision: Democratize audio and video creation by enabling content creators and knowledge workers with intuitive, assisted and collaborative workflows. The company aims to streamline the creative process as a whole, allowing users of any skill level to focus on creativity and produce better and faster results.Executing on this new strategy, MAGIX consolidates its product portfolio and reorganizes the company with immediate effect. Shifting from a product-based towards a capability-based organization enables a culture of efficiency, innovation and collaboration, with the goal of bringing cutting-edge solutions to the market faster. This will maximize cross-product synergies and focus investments on delivering maximum value to users of Vegas, Sequoia/Samplitude, Music Maker and MAGIX content.

Key Organizational Changes with Jeffrey Krebs as Chief Product Officer

To spearhead this shift in product strategy, MAGIX is pleased to announce the appointment of Jeffrey Krebs as Chief Product Officer (CPO) across all products, with the product leadership team reporting directly to him. Jeffrey brings a wealth of experience in the technology industry, having held leadership roles at several global tech companies, including Avid Technology, Eyeon Software, and Blackbird. Throughout his career, he has been instrumental in driving product innovation, growth, and customer success.

Jeffrey comments on his new role, “I am thrilled to be joining MAGIX and working with the development teams on its world-class video editing environment, Vegas Pro, and professional audio editing and mastering solution, Sequoia/Samplitude and the #1 downloaded DAW Music Maker. The company’s dedication to innovation and customer-centric approach aligns with my vision for the future of digital content. I am eager to contribute to the mission of democratizing audio and video creation, and I look forward to delivering cutting-edge solutions that empower creative minds around the world.”

“We are excited to welcome Jeffrey to the MAGIX family and are confident that his leadership and vision will help us deliver on our ambitious goals.” says Denis Burger, CEO of MAGIX Software GmbH.

“Our new strategy and vision will empower all users to unlock their full creative potential and to achieve high quality audio and video editing fast and easily. With Jeffrey’s guidance, we look forward to accelerating our product innovation and driving customer success across the globe.”

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Limited is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company develops and distributes IT products for Internet and IP-based networks, including communication systems, Internet software, security, network, and media products. Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 Limited offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About VEGAS
Today, millions of VEGAS Pro and VEGAS Movie Studio users benefit from global industry-leading video editing technologies. Now, VEGAS launches into a new era. In May, 2016, MAGIX acquired the multiple award-winning VEGAS Pro and VEGAS Movie Studio product lines, along with other video and audio products. VEGAS Creative Software stands poised to take video editing to a new level. Our development teams in the US and Germany are working on innovative solutions to old problems, and building tools that push the boundaries of what’s currently possible. The VEGAS Creative Software mission: to make VEGAS software faster, more efficient, and even more intuitive. Our goal: to provide users at all levels–from video editing amateurs to creative professionals–tools that are perfectly suited to their needs and demands.

[Special Announcement] Registration Server will be regularly maintenance on 2022-02-10 (15:00-17:00)

In order to provide more stable service, registration server (https://version-2.com.sg/register/) will be regularly maintenance on 2022-02-10 (15:00-17:00).
Sorry for any inconveniences caused.

Support Hotline: (65) – 6296 4268
Or email to support@version-2.com.sg

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Limited is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company develops and distributes IT products for Internet and IP-based networks, including communication systems, Internet software, security, network, and media products. Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 Limited offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

VEGAS Creative Software Embraces New 12th Gen Intel® Core™ Processor as CPU-of-Choice for Optimal Workflow Performance for VEGAS Pro

12th Gen Intel Core Processor Performance Gains, Enhanced CPU+GPU Integration Significantly Boosts VEGAS Pro Workflow Speed and Efficiency


01/05/22

VEGAS Creative Software (www.vegascreativesoftware.com) announced today it has embraced the new 12th Gen Intel® Core™ processor to optimize the workflow and performance of its lineup of video/audio editing, color grading, effects and live streaming software, including VEGAS Pro.

By embracing this new architecture, VEGAS Pro will now benefit from significant single- and multicore performance gains for content creators. All AI/ML-based features in VEGAS Pro are now optimized for the new 12th Gen processor through OpenVINO. Capabilities such as AI-based Upscale, Style Transfer and Colorization will be faster and more efficient.

For additional performance enhancements, VEGAS Pro also takes advantage of the improved GPU + CPU integration with Intel® Deep Link technology, as well as hardware accelerated encoding and decoding of video, offering a smoother workflow and a faster delivery for content creators.

The hybrid processor architecture of 12th Gen Intel® Core™ processors combines larger highperformance cores with smaller high-efficiency cores. The intelligent selection of cores for different levels of tasks is handled automatically by the Intel® Thread Director, supported by Windows 11. These capabilities are at the heart of many of the stunning, AI-powered effects built into VEGAS Pro.

Hagen Hirche, chief technology officer for MAGIX and VEGAS Creative Software commented: “The combination of VEGAS Pro, the 12th Gen Intel Core processor and Win 11 is something for our users to celebrate. With the launch of this new processor, Intel has provided a great leap forward in multicore performance and gives mobile devices desktop-like performance which in turn means our users can get more done in less time.”

Jerry Tsao, GM and VP of Client Computing Group MCP Enthusiast Segment at Intel: “This close collaboration by our engineers utilizing Intel® OpenVINO toolkit and Intel® Deep Link technology, enables an AI-rich and performance-optimized video editing experience when running VEGAS Pro on 12thth Gen Intel® Core™ H- Series processors, which will make creators more productive and help unlock their creativity.”

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Limited is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company develops and distributes IT products for Internet and IP-based networks, including communication systems, Internet software, security, network, and media products. Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 Limited offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About VEGAS
Today, millions of VEGAS Pro and VEGAS Movie Studio users benefit from global industry-leading video editing technologies. Now, VEGAS launches into a new era. In May, 2016, MAGIX acquired the multiple award-winning VEGAS Pro and VEGAS Movie Studio product lines, along with other video and audio products. VEGAS Creative Software stands poised to take video editing to a new level. Our development teams in the US and Germany are working on innovative solutions to old problems, and building tools that push the boundaries of what’s currently possible. The VEGAS Creative Software mission: to make VEGAS software faster, more efficient, and even more intuitive. Our goal: to provide users at all levels–from video editing amateurs to creative professionals–tools that are perfectly suited to their needs and demands.

VEGAS Creative Software Launches VEGAS Pro 18; Unveils Extensive Plans for Cloud-Based Media Management and Collaborative Workflows

Significant Upgrade to VEGAS Pro Adds GPU-Accelerated Workflows, Advanced Motion Tracking, Enhanced HDR Support and Improved Plug-In and Color Grading Workflow Support

VEGAS Creative Software (www.vegascreativesoftware.com) announced today a substantial new update to VEGAS Pro, the Company’s signature video/audio editing, color grading and effects platform designed for professional editors, filmmakers, YouTubers and social media creators.

With this announcement, VEGAS Pro 18 adds a breadth of new features and major feature improvements to enhance workflow performance, including AI-driven effects, GPU-accelerated workflows, advanced motion tracking, HDR support, sophisticated color grading tools and plug-ins ideally suited for video professionals in post-production facilities of all sizes and requirements.

VEGAS Creative Software also announced today detailed plans to provide extensive, cloud-based media management, file transfer and backup and collaboration capabilities that link VEGAS Pro 18 users with our content management systems as well as remote collaborators. All VEGAS Pro 18 cloud-based media management and collaboration tools will be offered as free services to VEGAS Pro 18 subscription customers. Pricing for cloud-based services for perpetual licence customers will be announced when the services become available beginning in October 2020.

New Features in VEGAS Pro 18

In addition to the extensive, high-value cloud-based media management and collaboration tools coming, VEGAS Pro 18 adds a significant number of new features and workflow enhancements available immediately, including:

  • Professional multi-channel audio editing with SOUND FORGE Pro 14 is now included with VEGAS Pro 18.  SOUND FORGE Pro integrates tightly with VEGAS Pro enabling users to send audio files directly from the VEGAS Pro timeline into SOUND FORGE Pro, make their edits and return to VEGAS Pro where all changes are instantly and automatically updated in the timeline;
  • Artificial intelligence driven effects including Colorize and Style Transfer;
  • GPU Driver detection and update utilities and automatic GPU configuration for hardware acceleration;
  • New Motion Tracking Panel;
  • VEGAS Capture enhancements, including a new capture folder configuration and new audio encoder;
  • HDR improvements, including hardware encoding available for HDR presets and automatic selection of IDTs based on metadata;
  • Support for Open FX plug-ins for optimal flexibility;
  • The addition of a variety of new plug-ins, including:
  • – Flicker Reducer
  • – Black Bar Fill
  • – Denoise
  • Significant Color Grading improvements, such as:
  • – Dockable Color Grading Panel
  • – Logarithmic Exposure Tool (“Camera Exposure”)
  • – Improved Auto Contrast
  • – Skin-Tone Line for Vectorscope
  • – Combined RGB Display for RGB Parade scope
  • Optional trim handles for timeline events;
  • Timeline cursor location storage saved with project files;
  • Video engine performance improvements;
  • New presets and animations for Titles and Text

VEGAS Pro Cloud-Based Services: What’s Coming

In the coming months, VEGAS Creative Software will unveil a comprehensive family of media management and collaboration tools to connect the VEGAS Pro community, including:

VEGAS Hub, The Central Information Depot

The VEGAS Pro 18 cloud-based workflow revolves around the VEGAS Hub, which provides teams with secure file storage and centralized media file access. Built on the Microsoft Azure platform, VEGAS Hub acts as the central repository of control and information, enabling VEGAS Pro and other applications to communicate directly with the Hub for file download and upload, collection creation and management, and more. Additionally through the Hub, individual applications will communicate with each other, and the system will continue to evolve into a critical centralized file organizational tool and a remote collaboration center.

VEGAS Transfer

For video and still images captured on a mobile device, VEGAS Transfer will be available as iOS and Android apps, and serve as the entry point into the VEGAS Hub environment. Users can quickly transfer media files from a mobile device into the Hub cloud storage. Uploaded files can be organized into Collections to organize files, and enable direct access from VEGAS Pro and VEGAS Prepare. Upload files with VEGAS Transfer, organize them further with VEGAS Prepare, and then download them directly into VEGAS Pro from anywhere to start editing.    

VEGAS Prepare

With VEGAS Prepare, users will be able to wrangle out-of-control herds of media files with three efficient levels of organization. Users can create a library with all media organized according to the structure that makes sense for the user, the team, and their workflow. Users can then further organize files into custom collections that make it easy to target a media category or classification to find precisely what is needed. Finally, add tags to individual files for quick filtering and sorting. Each level of organization is tied into local databases or the VEGAS Hub for collaboration, and can be accessed directly from inside VEGAS Pro for editing.

VEGAS Pro Hub Explorer

All of the the custom collections created in VEGAS Prepare show up instantly inside VEGAS Pro, whether working online or offline. When users create and manage collections directly inside VEGAS Pro, they automatically update in VEGAS Prepare so the two remain in sync, and changes made in VEGAS Prepare instantly appear in VEGAS Pro. Users can download files from cloud storage on the Hub for use on the VEGAS Pro Timeline, and upload files to the Hub from right inside VEGAS Pro. The Hub Explorer window is the portal for remote collaboration, file sharing, and organizing collections.

Also Coming Soon: Live Streaming

Later this month, VEGAS Creative Software will also launch VEGAS Stream, a new live streaming platform designed to serve the needs of content creators and broadcasters in multiple markets. VEGAS Stream provides a professional-caliber live streaming feature set within a tightly integrated VEGAS ecosystem. When a live stream event is complete, users will be able to send recorded events to VEGAS Pro 18 or VEGAS POST Suite, with all visual effects, graphics, and titles in place for further editing and on-demand delivery. Additional details will be announced later this month.

Pricing and Availability

VEGAS Pro 18 is available immediately as a monthly subscription or as a perpetual license. For more information on subscription pricing plans, please visit https://vegascreative.hk/. For more information on purchasing a perpetual license and for complete details and information, please visit https://vegascreative.hk/product-category/vegaspro.

All VEGAS Pro 18 cloud-based media management and collaboration tools will be offered as free services to VEGAS Pro 18 subscription customers. Pricing for cloud-based services for perpetual licence customers will be announced when the services become available beginning in October 2020.

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About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Limited is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company develops and distributes IT products for Internet and IP-based networks, including communication systems, Internet software, security, network, and media products. Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 Limited offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About VEGAS
Today, millions of VEGAS Pro and VEGAS Movie Studio users benefit from global industry-leading video editing technologies. Now, VEGAS launches into a new era. In May, 2016, MAGIX acquired the multiple award-winning VEGAS Pro and VEGAS Movie Studio product lines, along with other video and audio products. VEGAS Creative Software stands poised to take video editing to a new level. Our development teams in the US and Germany are working on innovative solutions to old problems, and building tools that push the boundaries of what’s currently possible. The VEGAS Creative Software mission: to make VEGAS software faster, more efficient, and even more intuitive. Our goal: to provide users at all levels–from video editing amateurs to creative professionals–tools that are perfectly suited to their needs and demands.

ESET Science Award launches its second annual edition

Bratislava – At a time when the world is relying on scientists and science to help with the coronavirus pandemic, ESET Science Award is launching its second annual recognition contest. Its aim is to recognize outstanding scientists working in Slovakia and introduce them to the public, as well as to showcase the essential role that science plays in society. The international jury will once again be chaired by a Nobel Prize winner this year.

In 2019, ESET Science Award launched its second annual edition to recognize exceptional scientists and academics working in Slovakia. Laureates of the first award include chemist Ján Tkáč, molecular biologist Ľubomíra Tóthová, and bioinformatics scientist Tomáš Vinař.

One of the objectives of the ESET Science Award is to highlight the important role of science and scientists within society. “Today more than ever we, as a society, recognize that scientific knowledge can save thousands of lives and help us make better decisions,” says Richard Marko, CEO of ESET. “Results of a survey conducted before the launch of this year’s award show that as much as 86 percent of respondents agree that Slovakia needs stronger support for science and research. We believe that by recognizing outstanding personalities in science, we will be able to increase the public’s interest in the field, thus increasing the state’s support for it.”

The jury that decides on the laureates consists of world-renowned and respected representatives of science disciplines from around the world. The jury assesses the short-listed scientists in terms of the quality of their scientific work and research and how these overlap with society, with an emphasis on international standards. A complex evaluation process includes both quantitative and qualitative criteria, taking into account the analysis of professional work and its benefits for society, communication, and scientific ethics and integrity.

This year, a top-level evaluation process is to be overseen by an international jury chairman who is a Nobel Prize winner. As the award organizer, the ESET Foundation is hopeful that, despite the current situation with the coronavirus pandemic, it will be able to secure the chairman’s participation in person. “Accepting the award from a Nobel Prize winner has been an exceptional moment in my scientific career. Despite the laureates being decided by a high-quality international scientific jury, I am pleased that this award comes not only from scientific circles but also from the wider community. It symbolizes that society is slowly starting to recognize the role of science in people’s everyday lives,” says Jan Tkáč, the 2019 laureate in the main category, Outstanding Individual Contributor to Slovak Science.

Scientists, researchers, and academics working in Slovakia have until May 28, 2020, to submit an application for the ESET Science Award via the esetscienceaward.sk website. Like last year, this year’s award is to be split into three categories – Outstanding Individual Contributor to Slovak Science, Exceptional Young Scientist in Slovakia under the Age of 35, and Outstanding Academic. The award covers four scientific areas: natural sciences, medical and pharmaceutical sciences, technical sciences, and agricultural sciences. An award ceremony to announce the laureates is planned for October 14, 2020, subject to change based on the coronavirus pandemic situation. For more information, visit www.esetscienceaward.sk.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Limited is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company develops and distributes IT products for Internet and IP-based networks, including communication systems, Internet software, security, network, and media products. Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 Limited offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About ESET
For 30 years, ESET® has been developing industry-leading IT security software and services for businesses and consumers worldwide. With solutions ranging from endpoint security to encryption and two-factor authentication, ESET’s high-performing, easy-to-use products give individuals and businesses the peace of mind to enjoy the full potential of their technology. ESET unobtrusively protects and monitors 24/7, updating defenses in real time to keep users safe and businesses running without interruption. Evolving threats require an evolving IT security company. Backed by R&D facilities worldwide, ESET became the first IT security company to earn 100 Virus Bulletin VB100 awards, identifying every single “in-the-wild” malware without interruption since 2003.

ESET investigates Grandoreiro, a trojan exploiting the coronavirus pandemic

BRATISLAVA, PRAGUE – As part of an ongoing series on Latin American banking trojans, ESET researchers take an in-depth look at Grandoreiro. This trojan targets users especially in Brazil, Mexico, Spain and Peru. Distributed almost exclusively through email spam, it has lately started to utilize fake websites capitalizing on the global coronavirus pandemic. Grandoreiro reveals a persistent effort from its authors to evade detection. Although ESET has seen Grandoreiro primarily distributed through spam, where the authors usually utilize a fake Java or Flash update, recently we have observed a shift to COVID19 related scams. The trojan was hiding in videos on fake websites promising information about the coronavirus. However, instead of playing, clicking the video leads to the download of a payload on visitors’ devices.Grandoreiro has been active since at least 2017 in Brazil and Peru, expanding to Mexico and Spain in 2019. As with other Latin American banking trojans in this series, Grandoreiro attacks its victims by displaying fake pop-up windows as a ploy to get them to divulge sensitive information.

The backdoor functionality of Grandoreiro includes manipulating windows; updating itself; capturing keystrokes; simulating mouse and keyboard actions; navigating browsers to chosen URLs; signing out and restarting machines; and blocking access to websites. Grandoreiro collects various information about affected machines and, in some versions, it also steals credentials stored in Google Chrome as well as data stored in Microsoft Outlook browsers.“For a Latin American banking trojan, Grandoreiro utilizes a surprisingly large number of tricks to evade detection and emulation. That includes many techniques to detect or even disable banking protection software,” says ESET researcher Robert Šuman, leading the team analyzing Grandoreiro. “They seem to be developing the banking trojan very rapidly. Almost every new version we see introduces some changes. We also suspect they are developing at least two variants simultaneously. Interestingly, from a technical point of view, they also utilize a very specific application of the binary padding technique that makes it hard to get rid of the padding while keeping a valid file,” adds Šuman.Unlike the majority of Latin American banking trojans, Grandoreiro utilizes quite small distribution chains. For different campaigns, it may choose a different type of downloader. These downloaders are often stored on well-known public online sharing services such as GitHub, Dropbox, Pastebin, 4shared or 4Sync.

For more technical details about Grandoreiro, read the blogpost “Grandoreiro: How engorged can an EXE get?” on WeLiveSecurity.com. Make sure to follow ESET research on Twitter for the latest news from ESET Research.

 

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Limited is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company develops and distributes IT products for Internet and IP-based networks, including communication systems, Internet software, security, network, and media products. Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 Limited offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About ESET
For 30 years, ESET® has been developing industry-leading IT security software and services for businesses and consumers worldwide. With solutions ranging from endpoint security to encryption and two-factor authentication, ESET’s high-performing, easy-to-use products give individuals and businesses the peace of mind to enjoy the full potential of their technology. ESET unobtrusively protects and monitors 24/7, updating defenses in real time to keep users safe and businesses running without interruption. Evolving threats require an evolving IT security company. Backed by R&D facilities worldwide, ESET became the first IT security company to earn 100 Virus Bulletin VB100 awards, identifying every single “in-the-wild” malware without interruption since 2003.

GREYCORTEX CTO ON SECURING THE HOME-OFFICE NETWORK

The emergency provisions related to COVID-19 have been active for some time and more and more companies are allowing their employees to work from home. We asked Our Chief Technology Officer Vladimír Sedláček, a seasoned administrator of ICT, corporate systems, cybersecurity, and experienced developer, about his opinion on current affairs.

The Coronavirus pandemic impact is discussed everywhere, but few people seem to realize that despite all the physical risks, digital issues still present a significant problem. How do you see the current situation, and what do you consider to be the biggest risk in terms of virtual infections, and their possible outcome for companies?

It would be naive to assume that the global crisis would lead to a drop in cyberattacks or will result in a ceasefire. On the contrary. In nature, each weakened individual becomes prey. Regardless of any previous “ceasefire declarations”, we see an increase in the number of attacks and targeted at the SARS-NCov-2 situation. Obviously, we can expect contacts from faux health inspectors and money collectors. Even my inbox has received several phishing emails offering nano-silver infused masks. In addition to attacking the weakest part of cybersecurity – the user – we also see an increase in scanning; looking for vulnerable computers and security holes in firewalls or hastily constructed VPNs and remote desktop gateways. In the end, all of this contributes to latent disclosure of company secrets, production, and patent documentation, or personal data. Infiltration by extortion malware also becomes a threat and can mean a total production halt, as seen both last year and recently in some hospitals in the Czech Republic.

What do you see as the most common errors from employers and top management regarding data exposure; and how does the risk increase with massive deployments of quarantine provisions where most employees work from home?

Right now, the risk is increased by companies laying off contractors, often those working on infrastructure, promoting rotating furloughs, and allowing their administrators to work from home. This can cause a delay in necessary security patching and increased response time. Also, ad hoc suspension of certain user accounts can leave the access ripe for unauthorized access restores later. Last, but not least, some companies have allowed their employees to work from home using their home computers. VPN has thus become a gateway for free access directly into company networks, and to internal company systems, all thanks to home devices with uncertain security postures, possibly outdated operating systems, obsolete software, or a load of games full of spyware. These systems are being used by home-bound users surfing the web with local superuser rights. It is very similar to allowing the usage of personal devices (BYOD) and letting them directly connect into internal, as opposed to guest networks. A lot of companies do not, however, tackle the situation accordingly, and have not familiarized their employees with relevant security policies. Without in-depth employee training and without respecting the basic rules of cyber hygiene, internal data can leave the control of responsible people working with it. What has not received much attention so far is the risk of company device theft in conjunction with wiping such devices clean. Partly due to the fact that the employees “stay home” and are convinced that they have good visibility over their physical environment. However, thefts will happen, and the security angle will need to be tackled. I cannot understand why so few administrators allow internal networks to stay open, and who pay attention to their internal network traffic with only commonly used tools for network monitoring. Same tools that are deployed normally are themselves a potential attack target.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Limited is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company develops and distributes IT products for Internet and IP-based networks, including communication systems, Internet software, security, network, and media products. Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 Limited offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About GREYCORTEX
GREYCORTEX uses advanced artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data mining methods to help organizations make their IT operations secure and reliable.

MENDEL, GREYCORTEX’s network traffic analysis solution, helps corporations, governments, and the critical infrastructure sector protect their futures by detecting cyber threats to sensitive data, networks, trade secrets, and reputations, which other network security products miss.

MENDEL is based on 10 years of extensive academic research and is designed using the same technology which was successful in four US-based NIST Challenges.