VirusTotal Simplifies User Options With Platform Access and New Contributor Model

VirusTotal (VT) is making important changes to its platform access and pricing. These updates aim to improve accessibility and strengthen its commitment to collaboration.

The initiative, detailed in a recent company announcement, aims to simplify user options while reinforcing VT’s commitment to the global cybersecurity community as an open, collaborative platform for the common good.

The changes come in light of community feedback and as part of a broader evolution within Google’s security ecosystem, which now features the unified Google Threat Intelligence (GTI) platform.

Founded on the principle that collective effort strengthens cyber defense, VirusTotal is refocusing on three primary goals: preserving the platform’s openness, providing a sustainable framework for contributors, and improving access for academics and researchers.

The company emphasized that while Google Threat Intelligence, which combines the power of VT, Mandiant, and Google, delivers advanced, curated intelligence for enterprises, VirusTotal will remain the community-driven foundation for threat sharing and analysis.

This dual approach allows VT to serve its core user base while integrating its vast data into Google’s more comprehensive enterprise offerings.

New Tiers For A Diverse Community

Key to the announcement is the launch of simplified pricing and new access tiers aimed at serving a diverse user base, from individual researchers to large organizations.

A key addition is the VT Contributor tier, a dedicated model for technology partners who integrate their detection engines with the platform.

This tier rewards their crucial role with free access to feeds of their blind spots, priority support, and early access to new features. The other tiers include:

• VT Community: A robust free tier for individual researchers, academics, and educators, offering file and URL scanning, public API access, and community features.
• VT Lite: Aimed at small teams, startups, and small MSSPs for non-commercial use, this tier provides advanced search, YARA hunting, and private scanning capabilities, with pricing starting from $5,000 for low API volumes.
• VT Duet: Designed for large organizations, this option provides the full feature set with a high API quota.

In a move that reaffirms a long-standing 2016 commitment, VirusTotal stated that security vendors who do not contribute detections are not included in these new tiers.

This decision underscores the company’s focus on fostering a “healthy community” where participation and contribution are valued.

The company actively encourages organizations to become contributors and join its mission of protecting the digital commons.

This evolution ensures that VirusTotal continues to serve as a transparent, collaborative hub for global threat intelligence, strengthening its foundational role in the cybersecurity landscape for years to come.

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