Considering that Microsoft feels the need to enter the antivirus market and 12 of the top 35 anti-malware makers failed Virus Bulletin's August 2009 test, one could argue that antivirus products are not where they should be. Former Symantec executive Oliver Friedrichs thinks a different approach is necessary, so he built a new cloud-based, social antivirus product called Immunet Project.

Harnessing what Immunet calls "Collective Immunity," Immunet Project claims to be able instantly fortify all of its users' computers against new virus threats. "Immunet uses a global community to collect anonymous information on applications running across the Immunet population," Friedrichs told Ars Technica. "We extract specific attributes from Windows PE files that are then coalesced in the cloud and classified as good or bad." When Immunet finds a piece of malware on a user's computer, it notifies the rest of the user network, supposedly in real time. Because of this approach, Immunet keeps most of its client infrastructure on its servers; the actual client install takes up less than 5MB of space.

Immunet wears the "cloud" buzzword on its marketing shoulder, boasting the speed and social advantages of a massive networked detection system. Surprisingly, Friedrichs says Immunet will pursue a freemium business model, offering both a free version of Immunet Project and, eventually, some kind of paid premium version. Immunet Project also taps into existing social networks and contact systems, allowing you to easily invite your Facebook, Gmail, and Yahoo contacts to plug in.

Strangely, Immunet Project's product page features a "Recommended Software" section, listing apps like McAfee 2009, AVG 8.5, and Norton 2008-10, though Symantec is missing from the list. "We will happily run alongside McAfee, AVG or Symantec in order to provide an additional layer of protection on top of those products," Friedrichs said. It is not required to double down on AV protection, however, and Friedrichs is confident in his new cloud-based product. In the coming weeks, Immunet plans to announce a licensing deal to further its cloud AV infrastructure and get Immunet Project integrated into more products.

Of course, we'll have to wait and see how Immunet Project performs in the coming months. The advantages of this approach are certainly intriguing, though they are also clearly dependent on Immunet building a critical mass of users to make its detection and protection systems effective.