Comodo Guards Internet from Clifton Site

Those applications that are blacklisted are sent to live technicians operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If the technician deems the application okay to run, it will be allowed, but if the application is suspicious, the process will be terminated and the user will be protected – and none the wiser.

Founded in 1998, Comodo moved its headquarters to Clifton from Jersey City in November 2012. Clifton was an ideal choice of location because of its access to human resources, Abdulhayoglu said, adding Comodo is currently expanding and looking to hire.

"Existing technology is old," said Comodo CEO and founder Melih Abdulhayoglu. "When antivirus protection was invented in 1987, it was not created to prevent [malicious software]. It was invented to clean existing infection. If you are a virus writer, you check it against the well-known antivirus software’s to make sure it doesn’t get caught."

Abdulhayoglu likened the Internet to an ecosystem and compared illness spreading from person to person to computer viruses spreading from user to user across emails and the World Wide Web. The CEO said he is so interested in preventing the spread of virtual viruses that a free version of the Comodo Internet Security application has been made available for download.

The free version offers the same protection and support against preexisting malicious software as in the pay version, but it does not offer the technician support or some of the customization options available in the priced packages.

Costs run between $20 and $40 per year, with more options available at the higher prices, and paying also gets the user a $500 guarantee. The folks at Comodo are so confident in their product that if any malicious software does get through, they will cover up to a half-grand for any necessary computer repairs.



"Let’s see if you can infect yourself," Abdulhayoglu said with a chuckle.

Comodo Internet Security 2013 is for Windows and Mac operating systems and the company serves everyone from regular home computer users to Fortune 500 companies.

Globally, Abdulhayoglu said one of his concerns is the possibility of a larger coordinated Internet attack, reeking havoc on people who rely more on the Internet each day. On that note, he said, "Security is a right, not a luxury," adding this is one of the Comodo ideals.

Computer hackers have attacked several large companies in recent years, including Japanese electronics giant Sony. In the 2011 Sony incident, computer hackers secured the personal information of tens of millions of customers, including credit card information, and left the company’s online infrastructure in shambles.

It is noted as one of the bigger digital security breaches and ultimately led to Sony reporting losses in excess of $170 million. Suspects in the incident were tracked to Spain and the culprit or culprits stand to serve approximately five years in prison for Internet crimes.

"One of the biggest problems I see right now," said Abdulhayoglu, "is if you want to be a criminal, you don’t have to run drugs across the borders. That model is changing. Those criminals are moving to the Internet. Now they can commit crimes in the comfort of their bedrooms. They can sit in East Europe and steal money in America. This is what we’re trying to defend against."

Comodo has offices across the globe and the company currently employs approximately 650 people internationally. Roughly 60 people work out of the Broad Street location, but the number is expected to increase with new hires throughout the year. Some available positions are in marketing, sales and system administration.

Abdulhayoglu earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electronic engineering from Bradford University in the United Kingdom. He earned the 2008 Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year award in information technology software for New Jersey and is a go-to expert regarding Internet security.

(By Adam Greenberg- Staff Writer/ http://www.northjersey.com)