Tired of recovering overwritten files and responding to website hacks, a pair of seasoned IT specialists sat down together to discuss the value of a cloud-based, file integrity monitoring tool in the battle against virtual blight.
Fast-forward three years and that idea has become a reality. Publicly launched on May 24, CodeGuard offers malware detection and a remediation service for small and medium-sized businesses. The startup has already raised $500,000 in funds from angels including Imlay Investments.
The brainchild of Jonathan Hochman and Jonah Stein, who first met at Google’s headquarters back in 2008, CodeGuard can be used by any website operator to safeguard it from coding glitches and intentional hacking. How does it work? By creating an automatic backup for website code, constantly checking the website for infections, and providing remediation if any infections are found. All versions of a website – both clean and compromised – are stored regularly on a secure server, allowing users to see what files have changed. If there is a hack or suspicious change in data, webmasters are immediately notified and can revert to the last known “clean” version rather than continuing to spread malware or spam.
“It serves as a time machine for websites,” said David Moeller, CEO. “We’re website protection for the masses. The idea was to take an advanced tool like git and make it easier to use, so it’s not just the sophisticated developer using it.”
A member of the Advanced Technology Development Center since fall of 2010, CodeGuard now has about 10 full-time and part-time employees scattered across the U.S. Since launching last month, CodeGuard has built up a base of more than 600 customers – a number they hope will rise to 5,000 in the near future.