AKDAN Malware Hunters blocks new malware that are difficult to detect with existing Antivirus with 'AKDAN HALL'

- AKDAN Malware Huntershas developed a deep-tech security solution called AKDAN HALL PEDthat identifies and blocks unknown document-based malware in just 0.27 secondsbefore it can execute.
- Unlike traditional antivirus software that relies on known lists, their Pre-Execution Detection (PED)technology uses a virtual "hypnosis" environment to predict malicious behavior, ensuring a 99% success rate against new threats.
- Led by CEO Sean Jeon, a former expert from AhnLab, the company offers a flexible lineup ranging from cloud-based agents to the physical AKDAN HALL miniserver, with immediate plans to enter the Japanese market and establish international partnerships.

Sean Jeon, CEO of AKDAN Malware Hunters / source=IT DongA

The landscape of cyberattacks is shifting rapidly. While executable files (EXE) were the primary vehicles for malware in the past, there has been a recent surge in sophisticated attacks that disguise themselves as business documents or script files to infect user PCs. Statistics show that 91% of recent cyberattacks begin via email, with a significant portion of those utilizing document-based malware.

The problem lies in the fact that traditional Antivirus software relies on lists of already known malware. It takes an average of more than 200 days for a new piece of malware to be registered on these Antivirus lists. Experts point out that existing Antivirus solutions inevitably face limitations in responding to the new threats pouring in every single day.

AKDAN Malware Hunters(CEO Sean Jeon) is a deep-tech startup that emerged to directly tackle these blind spots in traditional defense. Equipped with their proprietary Pre-Execution Detection(PED) technology, which determines whether a file is malicious just before it is executed, their AKDAN HALL product lineup emphasizes a technical prowess capable of catching new threats—missed by standard Antivirus—in just one second. We met with CEO Sean Jeon to hear more about the vision and technology of AKDAN Malware Hunters, which is breaking the conventional wisdom of cybersecurity.

- Your company name is very intense and intuitive. What motivated you to leave a stable career as a researcher to start your own business?
: I spent over 15 years since 2010 working in the cybersecurity field, including at AhnLab, developing malware analysis engines. The greatest frustration I felt on the front lines was "speed." Malware evolves on a weekly basis, but defensive technology was always busy chasing from behind. While I developed excellent engines at my previous companies, there were structural limitations in traditional analysis methods (such as sandbox) that made it difficult to perfectly block the latest malware. I felt that we couldn't go on like this; we had to change the game. I wanted to break away from existing inertia and create a completely new analysis paradigm myself. The name AKDAN Malware Hunters(which translates to "Malware Apprehension Team") is a sort of declaration of war, signifying that we will track down and apprehend new malware to the very end.

- The statement that "existing antivirus cannot catch new malware" might sound unfamiliar to general users. What exactly is the difference?
: To use a simple analogy, existing Antivirus is like a checkpoint guard holding "wanted posters." You can only catch a criminal if their face (Malware Signature) is already on the list. In other words, if a new criminal (Unknown Malware) appears after plastic surgery or in disguise, they will inevitably be missed right under your nose. Our technology, however, doesn't need wanted posters. Instead, we observe behavior. It's like putting a suspect under hypnosis in a virtual environment that perfectly mimics a crime scene to induce the criminal act they prepared. When a file is about to be executed, we can quickly derive suspicious behaviors, such as attempts to destroy the system or steal information. This allows us to fundamentally block even unknown threats.

'AKDAN HALL PED' solution that overcame the limitations of existing vaccines / source=AKDAN Malware Hunters

- Please introduce your core solution, AKDAN HALL PED. What are its technical strengths?
: The product name AKDAN HALL combines "AKDAN," an abbreviation of our company name, with the "Hall" from City Hall, meaning we are establishing a monitoring office within your PC to apprehend and manage malware. Our core PED(Pre-Execution Detection) technology completes its analysis in less than a second—averaging 0.27 seconds—the very moment a user clicks to open an email attachment. While existing EDR(Endpoint Detection and Response) solutions act as a "doctor after the death," tracking behavior after the malware has already run, we suspend the execution itself to inspect it, leaving no room for damage to occur. In recognition of this technology, we were designated as an Excellent Information Security Technology by the Korea Internet & Security Agency(KISA) last year.

Enterprise security solution in the form of a mini server 'AKDAN HALL Mini' / source=IT DongA

- Is there a lineup for companies as well as individuals?
: Yes. Individuals and small business owners can easily use our cloud-based agent. However, there are places like hospitals and public institutions that are extremely sensitive about internal data leaks or operate in air-gapped environments where external internet is cut off. For them, we developed AKDAN HALL mini, a small physical server. By simply connecting this fist-sized server to a router, an organization of about 100 people can safely analyze and protect the files moving through their network. It is very easy to install, and the adoption cost is significantly lower than existing equipment. Moving forward, we plan to expand into enterprise products for large corporations and the SDK(Software Development Kit) business to supply our analysis engine to other security vendors.

- Should users who are already using antivirus software like ‘V3’ or ‘ALYac’ still use AKDAN HALL? Are there concerns about software conflicts?
: That is our biggest differentiator. Usually, you should only use one Antivirus program because installing two or more on a PC causes them to clash or significantly slows down the computer. However, AKDAN HALL does not fight with existing Antivirus; it "cooperates." It completes a "dual security" system where the Antivirus first filters out malware on the wanted list, and we perform a precision inspection on the new malware the Antivirus missed. Since it consumes almost no system resources normally and only activates the moment a user clicks a document (utilizing about 2.6% of CPU), there is no need to worry about PC performance degradation.

AKDAN HALL Mini's dashboard provides a quick view of the current security situation / source=AKDAN Malware Hunters

- How did the Initial Startup Package program from the Seoul National University of Science and Technology(SeoulTech) Startup Support Foundation help you?
: It provided decisive help in commercializing our hardware product, AKDAN HALL mini. In the process of turning a product that was only at the idea stage into a prototype ready for actual sale, the mentoring was a great source of strength alongside the financial support. Furthermore, it allowed us to expand our network for marketing and IR(Investor Relations), which we had lacked while focusing solely on technical development. We received the practical support necessary for a startup to leap from mere technology to a real business.

- What are your future plans and goals?
: In the short term, we are focusing on entering the Japanese market. We have already completed the Japanese localization of the product and are discussing the establishment of local partnerships and agencies following our participation in a Japanese exhibition late last year. In the long term, we dream of "coexistence" rather than "competition." Our goal is not to win by competing against other security companies. We want to be a partner that enhances the performance of other security vendors' products by supplying them with our powerful analysis engine. We will become a "First Mover" that proves Korean security technology is world-class and contributes to creating a safe digital world.

By Young-woo Kim (pengo@itdonga.com)