Virus Bulletin

What Virus Bulletin does

Virus Bulletin Ltd is a privately held UK security information and testing company founded in 1989 and registered in England and Wales (company number 2388295), headquartered in Wallingford with 11–50 employees. The company provides independent testing, certification, and threat intelligence services for the cybersecurity industry, built around four certification programs: VB100 (Windows endpoint anti-malware efficacy), VBSpam (email security solutions), VBWeb (web security gateways), and VB ESA-M365 (Microsoft 365 email security add-ons, with inaugural results published in June 2026). Its testing methodologies combine reproducible frameworks (e.g., VBWeb's cached/replayed traffic and case-level classification, WildList-based detection sampling for VB100, AMTSO-aligned execution for VBSpam) with both public comparative reports and private consultancy engagements for individual vendors.

The business operates a community-led, multi-revenue-stream model. Revenue is generated from vendor participation fees in testing programs (both public certification tests and private consultancy engagements), ticket sales and tiered sponsorship (Platinum/Gold/Bronze) for the annual VB Conference (running since 1991 and rotating across European and North American cities, with VB2025 in Berlin and VB2026 scheduled for Seville), newsletter and Bulletin subscriptions (with archives extending back to 1989), and registered extranet memberships. The Bulletin serves as a peer-reviewed publication channel, and the Péter Szőr Award — an annual recognition for best technical security research — anchors community engagement with vendors such as Palo Alto Networks Unit 42, ESET, Sophos, Cisco Talos, Kaspersky, and Fox-IT.

Distribution is predominantly digital, anchored by virusbulletin.com, extranet.virusbulletin.com, and the vblocalhost.com virtual conference platform, with transactional processing handled by Elavon and email infrastructure by Google G Suite and Brevo. The firm operates with no disclosed venture funding, no parent company, and no subsidiaries, indicating a self-sustaining independent operating model.

Name

Virus Bulletin

Legal name

Virus Bulletin Ltd

Website

https://virusbtn.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Virus Bulletin Ltd is a UK-based independent security testing and certification firm founded in 1989, offering VB100, VBSpam, VBWeb, and VB ESA-M365 certifications, the annual VB Conference, and the Bulletin publication for security vendors and professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cybersecurity Testing & Certification

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (541380), Other Computer Related Services (541519)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Vulnerability Assessment, Security Audits & Compliance Testing (BPAKAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Vulnerability Management & Penetration Testing Services (BPAEADAD)

Keywords

• Security product certification
• Antivirus testing services
• Email security testing
• Web security certification
• Cybersecurity research publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Abingdon

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Conference Tickets: Revenue generated from selling tickets to the annual VB Conference, which has been running since 1991 and attracts security professionals from around the world.
2. Security Testing Services: Vendors pay to participate in VB's testing programs (VB100, VBSpam, VBWeb, VB ESA-M365). Both public tests (with published results) and private tests (for vendor internal use) are offered. Test funding comes from participating vendors.
3. Newsletter Subscription: Newsletter providing security research, latest threats, and VB updates to subscribers.
4. Extranet Membership: Registered extranet users can access exclusive content, testing results, and conference resources. Data collection includes name, email, company, job title, and country.
5. Bulletins and Publications: The VB Bulletin publishes security research and information, with archives going back to 1989. Publications cover latest threats, new developments, and opinions from industry experts.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Virus Bulletin provides independent testing and certification of security products (anti-malware, email security, web security, and Microsoft 365 email add-ons) through programs such as VB100, VBSpam, VBWeb, and VB ESA-M365. It also publishes security research via The Bulletin and blog, runs the annual VB Conference, and offers private consultancy testing services using its proprietary testing frameworks.

Product overview

Virus Bulletin offers a suite of security testing and certification products and services. The core offerings include VB100 (endpoint security certification), VBSpam (email security testing), VB ESA-M365 (Microsoft 365 email security add-on testing), and VBWeb (web security gateway testing). These certification programs test security products against real-world threats and award certifications to products meeting minimum performance standards. The company also operates the annual VB Conference (a premier security event since 1991) and publishes The Bulletin (a security research journal dating back to 1989). Additionally, private consultancy testing services are available using VB's expert testing frameworks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VB100: VB100 is an efficacy certification covering Windows endpoint security products and their ability to protect against common threats.
• VBSpam
• VBWeb
• VB ESA - M365
• VB Conference
• Péter Szőr Award

Products and services

• VB100 Certification An efficacy certification program for Windows endpoint security products, testing their ability to detect common threats from the WildList while minimizing false positives. Products that pass earn the VB100 certification mark.
• VBSpam Testing Comparative testing and certification of email security solutions, measuring their effectiveness against wanted, unwanted, and malicious emails.
• VBWeb Testing Certification and comparative testing of web security products and gateway web traffic filters, measuring their ability to block drive-by downloads, exploit kits, malware downloads, and phishing pages across both HTTP and HTTPS.
• VB ESA - M365 Testing Comparative testing and certification of email security add-ons that supplement the native security capabilities of Microsoft 365.
• VB Conference An annual world-renowned IT security conference running since 1991, providing a venue for security professionals to learn, debate, and share knowledge through presentations and workshops; supported by tiered vendor sponsorships and delegate tickets.
• The Bulletin (Publication) A reference publication for computer security professionals featuring peer-reviewed security research, latest threats, opinions, and technical articles from industry experts, with archives dating back to 1989.
• Consultancy Testing Services Private testing and consultancy services offered by Virus Bulletin's team of expert testers using its proprietary testing frameworks, available for a wide range of security product evaluation needs.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• BitdefenderflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 September 2022Bitdefender served as Platinum partner for VB2022 conference in Prague. Bitdefender is described as a cybersecurity leader delivering best-in-class threat prevention, detection, and response solutions worldwide.
• AvastcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 September 2022Avast served as Gold partner for VB2022. Avast is a global leader in digital security and privacy with over 435 million users online.
• ReasonLabscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 September 2022ReasonLabs served as Gold partner for VB2022. ReasonLabs is described as a global pioneer in cybersecurity detection and prevention, powered by machine learning, with products including RAV Endpoint Protection.
• Cyber Threat Alliance (CTA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 September 2022CTA was Partner of the VB2022 Threat Intelligence Practitioners' Summit (TIPS). CTA is a not-for-profit organization that improves cybersecurity through high-quality threat information sharing among cybersecurity companies.
• VirusTotalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 September 2022VirusTotal served as Workshop partner for VB2022. VirusTotal is described as the most actionable crowdsourced threat intelligence platform, applying Google's infrastructure for instant threat intelligence search.
• FortinetcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 September 2022Fortinet served as Bronze partner for VB2022. Fortinet secures the largest enterprise, service provider, and government organizations worldwide with its Security Fabric architecture.
• Cisco TaloscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 September 2022Cisco Talos served as Bronze partner for VB2022. Talos is described as one of the largest and most trusted providers of cutting-edge security research globally.
• AviraminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 September 2022Avira served as Bronze partner for VB2022. Avira is part of NortonLifeLock, a global leader in consumer Cyber Safety, delivering anti-malware and cyber threat intelligence.
• QI-ANXINminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 September 2022QI-ANXIN served as 'Getting connected' partner for VB2022. QI-ANXIN was founded in 2014 and specializes in serving the cybersecurity market with next-generation enterprise-class cybersecurity products.
• TotalAVminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 September 2022TotalAV served as 'Evening networking' partner for VB2022. TotalAV has become one of the fastest growing antivirus products in the market.
• Clean Software Alliance (CSA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 September 2022CSA served as Bronze partner for VB2022. CSA is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association championing sustainable, consumer-friendly practices within the software distribution ecosystem.
• itrainsecminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 September 2022itrainsec served as Bronze partner for VB2022. itrainsec brings together top cyber security experts and trainers to facilitate immersive learning experiences.
• MalwarebytescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 October 2021Malwarebytes was a partner of VB2021 localhost virtual conference, providing cybersecurity solutions.
• Google (G Suite)coreTechnology or IntegrationVirus Bulletin uses G Suite service provided by Google for email handling, with emails stored in Google's cloud infrastructure.
• Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)coreTechnology or IntegrationBrevo is VB's third-party email service provider used to send emails and newsletters on VB's behalf.
• ElavoncoreTechnology or IntegrationElavon is VB's online payments processor for conference ticket purchases. Credit card details are entered directly on Elavon's web interface and not processed or held by Virus Bulletin.
• Active DefensecoreTechnology or IntegrationActive Defense provides a private API used by VB for the exploit kits part of VBWeb testing.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/virusbtn
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/virusbtn
• Facebookfacebook.com/virusbulletin
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/virus-bulletin

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Virus Bulletin