ESTsoft (represented by Jung Sang-won) security subsidiary ESTsecurity announced on the 3rd that it won the grand prize at the '20th K-ICT Information Security Awards' hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT and organized by the Korea Information Security Industry Association and the Korea Internet & Security Agency on the 2nd.

ESTsecurity, which recorded a high score among participating companies, won the grand prize, the Minister of Science and ICT Award, thereby being recognized for its efforts in improving public awareness of information protection and practicing activities as a leading company in the security industry.

ESTsecurity, which first opened its antivirus software license for free use by anyone, has been leading the strengthening of national information protection awareness and the vitalization of the security industry through security technology innovation and rapid information sharing on various threats.

In particular, ESTsecurity's flagship security solution ‘ALYac’ has been credited for popularizing the use of antivirus domestically. The number of ALYac users now exceeds ten million. ESTsecurity uses ALYac to detect over 100 million cases of malware annually and blocks more than 1.3 million cases of Ransomware quarterly.

Recently, the company’s AI research institute ‘AI PLUS Lab’ has been actively incorporating independently developed deep learning technology into security solutions. Notable examples are the next-generation security solution ‘ALYac EDR’ and the malware threat response solution ‘Threat Inside’. ALYac EDR detects and blocks threats preemptively, and the data generated from it is analyzed by Threat Inside.

Additionally, the company has also been continuously providing prompt reports on the latest threat trends and analyses to general users, companies, and institutions through collaboration with major domestic organizations such as the National Police Agency and Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA). These reports are published using the company’s decade-worth of malware collection and analysis technology, along with threat intelligence data.

Furthermore, the company conducts nationwide security awareness surveys annually during Information Security Month, and continuously collaborates with information security education institutions to improve security awareness and cultivate security experts.

Internal information security activities are also being continuously innovated. ESTsecurity, aiming to effectively suppress the escalating risks that correlate with increasing productivity, has differentiated the security environment according to work characteristics and developed and applied new security technology. They have shifted away from the traditional approach of applying conservative regulations in security policy operation and have also considered increasing productivity that aligns with work convenience and efficiency.

ESTsecurity CEO Jung Sang-won said, "ESTsecurity has led the virtuous cycle of industry ecosystem, protecting numerous users' information and assets, along with contributing to the growth of the security industry," expressing great pleasure in being recognized for these efforts through the award. He added, "We will continue to actively seek out and pursue various opportunities that can contribute to the strengthening of domestic cybersecurity and support the healthy growth of the security industry."

Meanwhile, ESTsecurity has acquired international security certifications for its products from the world’s top four security certification bodies, namely ICSA in the United States and Virus Bulletin in the United Kingdom, in 2009 and 2011, respectively. Domestically, it obtained Information Security Management System (ISMS) certification in 2019.