Google acquires online virus scanner VirusTotal for undisclosed amount

Google has acquired the online virus scanner VirusTotal for an undisclosed amount of money. The deal appears to be a straightforward one, with VirusTotal continuing to operate independently. VirusTotal will gain access to Google's resources and infrastructure, which should help VirusTotal to continue improving their service.

Our goal is simple: to help keep you safe on the web. And we've worked hard to ensure that the services we offer continually improve. But as a small, resource-constrained company, that can sometimes be challenging. So we're delighted that Google, a long-time partner, has acquired VirusTotal. This is great news for you, and bad news for malware generators, because:

• The quality and power of our malware research tools will keep improving, most likely faster; and
• Google's infrastructure will ensure that our tools are always ready, right when you need them.

VirusTotal will continue to operate independently, maintaining our partnerships with other antivirus companies and security experts. This is an exciting step forward. Google has a long track record working to keep people safe online and we look forward to fighting the good fight together with them.

According to the press release, VirusTotal had been one of Google's partners for a long time, so the business relationship with other antivirus companies and security experts should remain mostly unchanged. Google will likely look to integrate VirusTotal's scanning systems into many of their offerings.

This could be especially good for Gmail as attachments are constantly being e-mailed around. Google and VirusTotal have declined to share the acquisition price, though a Google spokesperson had the following to say:

Security is incredibly important to our users and we've invested many millions of dollars to help keep them safe online. VirusTotal also has a strong track record in web security, and we're delighted to be able to provide them with the infrastructure they need to ensure that their service continues to improve.