MKS Antivirus: the story of the legendary Polish antivirus

The first Metallica concert in Poland and the third visit of John Paul II to the Vistula were not the only important events of 1987. At the end of the People's Republic of Poland, a legend of Polish IT was born. Here is the turbulent history of Marek Sell and the famous mks_vir antivirus.

In the 1980s, when computers began to appear in Polish homes and institutions, a new threat came with them – malicious software.

Viruses hidden on floppy disks, trojans and worms along with spyware became a nuisance for users. An enterprising programmer from Poznań saw an opportunity in this that could not be missed.

IT Specialist in the People's Republic of Poland

“I make a living by preventing trouble” – said Marek Sell in an interview from 2002*. At that time, his product - mks_vir - was already a true star in the antivirus market.

The beginnings of the famous AV were not easy.

Sell (born in 1951), a mathematician from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, dedicated his life to IT. He took a risk because in 1980s Poland, the personal computer was a luxury item. If you had an Atari or Commodore on your desk, you were the coolest guy/girl in class.

Bank transaction security, protection of confidential data, and system protection? Who had the mind to think about it while standing in line for toilet paper and meat bought with ration cards. However, albeit slowly, computer technologies were developing in the People's Republic of Poland.

Sell gained experience in various IT companies, including Mera System and Apexim. He had talent. He created accounting software for the MERA-100 computer, which impressed the Germans so much that they invited him to work for them for a year.

Fortunately, Marek Sell returned to the country, and his great adventure began in 1987.

First Encounter with a Virus

We don't know what worm got onto Sell's computer and what damage it caused. However, we know that the programmer couldn't find a way to debug the device.

At that time, antivirus software practically did not exist in Poland, and foreign solutions were hard to access and expensive. Sell decided to act and wrote his own antivirus program (in assembler).

This is how mks_vir, the first Polish antivirus, was born. Initially, it worked for the DOS system as a simple scanner detecting known infections. Only later did it fully protect, among others, Windows systems from threats.

Without Money and Support

Initially, the program served only Sell and his friends. However, it quickly turned out that more and more people were asking about mks_vir. Sell's antivirus was distributed by mail by the company Apexim. On a 5.25-inch floppy disk, initially once a month (this was how software updates looked back then).

In Poland at the turn of the 80s and 90s, everything was lacking – financial support, infrastructure, and the market was still small.

This situation also had advantages because the antivirus industry was just starting, and Sell didn't need a lot of money to start.

“I could therefore invest small amounts month after month, and the application grew. My success in Poland is therefore primarily the result of budding” - he said in an interview from 2002*.

Success Among Users, Official Company, and Awards

Initially, not everyone believed in the effectiveness of the Polish antivirus program. These were the years of fascination with Western solutions and technologies.

Marek Sell did not give up and patiently improved his antivirus program. Mks_vir began to gain well-deserved fame. Simple to use and effective in detecting viruses (which were increasing in number), it won the hearts of users.

Cybercriminals also took notice. They released fake antiviruses with hidden trojans. This was another proof that the position of mks_vir was growing.

During this time, Sell published a virus encyclopedia full of examples of the operation of viruses of the time.

The time came for another bold step.

In 1996, Marek Sell founded MKS Sp. z o.o., and its main product was, of course, mks_vir. Now the talented programmer's child became official antivirus software and could compete with foreign solutions.

Sell couldn't have made a better decision.

Mks_vir quickly won an award in the III edition of the "Teraz Polska" competition, and a version for the new operating system Windows 95 was also created. The mks_vir package began to offer complete computer protection.

Fighting Competition and Viruses

Years passed, new versions of mks_vir were created, each more effective and easier to use. However, Sell's company had to face not only worms and trojans.

Powerful foreign companies quickly noticed that they could make good money in Poland. Poles could choose from an increasing number of AVs produced by giants – Norton Antivirus, Kaspersky, or McAfee.

Marek Sell did not throw in the towel and effectively fought against stronger opponents.

The creator of mks_vir had an army of trusting users, and his program was installed in public institutions. He no longer worked alone. He hired excellent programmers who helped develop the antivirus. In 2000, a version with a refreshed interface and additional modules protecting against new threats was released.

What could threaten the position of the first Polish antivirus?

Death of Marek Sell and the Fall of MKS

The creator of mks_vir was defeated by a serious illness. 53-year-old Marek Sell died in June 2004. The departure of a leader is usually a powerful blow to a company, but in the case of MKS, the loss proved too great.

The helm of the company was taken over by Mateusz Sell, the son of the creator of the first Polish antivirus. The fight for market position continued, but mks_vir gradually disappeared from users' computers. Releasing new versions for Windows or an online scanner available on the manufacturer's website did not help.

Three years later, ArcaBit revived mks_vir as a free antivirus. AV was installed by hundreds of thousands of users. Apparently, it was not enough, and the competition became too strong. Mks_vir went into the freezer. This time until 2017.

Return and New Incarnation of mks_vir

First, users were given access to a renewed online scanner. A year later, mks_vir underwent another modernization – it received a modern interface and additional features. Users could download it using various types of licenses, and a serial number allowed the activation of modern features.

Now mks_vir can be used by private cybernauts, companies, and institutions. For individual customers, there are Internet Security and Home and Small Business plans. Offices and large enterprises use Endpoint Security protection.

The mks_vir manufacturer provides protection for all versions of Windows systems, Android devices, and server systems.

The Polish AV uses advanced heuristic mechanisms and two multi-module antivirus engines to ensure the highest level of protection against new threats. It offers protection against document encryption, secure storage of passwords and important data, and peace of mind while browsing websites. For parents, it has an option to control what children watch on the internet (including a network access schedule). It blocks ads, scans emails for malware, and offers a proprietary web browser protecting online payments.

These are all tools that Marek Sellin could not even dream of in 1987.

Marek Sell - what remains of the outstanding IT specialist

“Viruses are written by teenagers, emotionally immature people, individuals deriving maniacal satisfaction from destruction, from doing evil, difficult to understand for a normal person”* – said the outstanding Polish IT specialist over 20 years ago.

The world has changed, and now cybercrime is a profitable business.

You don't have to be a programmer to profit from malicious software. It's enough to hire criminals on the darknet who will do the dirty work for us.

For a monthly/annual fee plus 20-30% of the ransom, they will use ransomware (encrypted disks) to attack companies, institutions, or individual cybernauts. They will block access to files and demand money for returning access to valuable data.

It's true, the world has changed, but not only mks_vir remains after Sell.

The history of the first Polish antivirus is proof that the passion and determination of one person can change reality.

You don't need money and state support to change reality, just as Sell changed the Polish IT industry. Indeed, success is possible even when starting in exceptionally unfavorable circumstances. Mks_vir is proof that Poland had its own cyber hero, who long before the era of global companies created a tool valued by thousands of users.

*interview published in "Magazyn Internetowy WWW", 2002