National Laboratory of Computer Virology is an unique scientific unit specialized in the area of computer virology, computer, communication and information security.

As independent scientific discipline, the Computer virology is based on the achievements of several scientific disciplines as mathematics, informatics, physics, chemistry, astronomy and recently also biology of cellular organisms and genetics of microorganisms.

The creation of computer viruses has occurred almost simultaneously with the creation of the first computer program.

And this idea has found a "negative" realization in destruction, manipulation or spying of information in millions computers in the world as often happens with human achievements.

All world organization related to the world of computers, communication and information, make a serious investments for the competition “viruses—antiviruses”, because the results will determine to a great value the future of computer, communication and information systems.

In recent years this is particularly relevant as the idea of a biological behavior of the computer viruses became a reality, and when self-coding and self-mutation algorithms approached the computer viruses to the model of biological cells and organisms.

In the recent years the classical term computer viruses has been transformed in common term malicious software.

It includes more than 60 main kinds, more than 2 000 families and more than 5 000 000 virus signatures.

Compact program implementations for several platforms are built in the Laboratory.

These program implementations detect and cure “in the wild” the set of virus signatures.

The program realizations also provide effective “monitor” and “integrity checker” protection with minimal loss of resources.

History

The laboratory of computer virology (LCV) was created in 1990 by a Decision of the Presidium of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences defining the computer viruses and their variations as its major scientific problematics.

In 1993 the Laboratory was renamed as National Laboratory of Computer Virology (NLCV) and in the scientific issues it deals with were added various aspects of information security.

Mission

NLCV is a specialized academic unit for:

• fundamental and applied research;
• expert advice and activities;
• application of scientific results;
• preparation of highly qualified professionals;
• and other activities defined in Art. 2 of the Law for BAS,

in the areas of:

• the creation and the study of mathematical and heuristic methods and tools for analysis and evaluation of computer viruses;
• the creation and the update of existing databases / knowledge bases about computer viruses;
• the creation and the study of principally new methods for computer security and antivirus protection;
• the approbation of national and international software and hardware methods and tools for computer security and antivirus protection.

Directions

• Data Security
• Computer Security
• Communication Security
• Operating System Security
• Web Security
• Email Security
• Cloud Security
• Wireless Security
• Cryptographic Security
• Mobile device Security
• Application Security
• Emission Security
• Virtualization Security

Priorities

• Research and classification of newly emerging viruses (malware, malattacks);
• Methods and means for discovering of computer viruses 9malware, malattacks);
• Methods and means for removing of computer viruses 9malware, malattacks);
• Methods and means for data recovery;
• Approbation of the above methods and means;
• Research in the field of standards for encoding and encryption.
• Research in the field of systems for access control;
• Research in the field of client/server applications.

Methods

• Evaluate the impact of the operating environment - definitions and parameters;
• Evaluation of a class of viruses - definitions and parameters;
• Creation of analytical models - simplifications and verification;
• Optimization processes - functions, parameters and experiments;
• Creation of simulation models - simplifications and verification;
• Algorithmic solutions and program implementations for a class of viruses;
• Creation of programs and monthly update on product family NLAB.