Security monitoring application sniffs out malicious code.
- MessageLabs CTO says desktop anti-virus tech reaching limits
- GFI to include Karspersky technology in mail server protection
- India orders cell services not to force voice mail charges on customers
- Pierce Brosnan gians control of piercebrosnan.com
IBM researchers in Zurich, Switzerland, have developed worm-squashing software that detects malicious software by looking at traffic flowing to Internet addresses that arent assigned to specific computers, trying to isolate computers on a network that attempt to infect others. The software, code-named Billy Goat, has kept watch over IBMs corporate network from the companys large research lab outside Zurich. IBM is also testing the system at Bluewin, the ISP unit of Swisscom AG, the Swiss national telephone company. By testing the software at a large ISP, IBM can collect more data on worm traffic and help decide how to bring Billy Goat to market, says Adrian Schlund, a manager at IBM Global Services. “We have quite a big business potential for Billy Goat,” he says. The company is considering bringing the technology to market in its Tivoli software products, or as part of a security service sold to companies by IBM.
Computer viruses are becoming so aggressive and sophisticated that they may soon be able to elude anti-virus programs installed on individual computers, according to many in the security industry. “Viruses will soon be too good for desktop computers to stop,” said Mark Sunner, chief technology officer at e-mail security company MessageLabs. He said computing security will migrate from desktops to large databases at major exchange points on the Internet. Desktop anti-virus programs rely on downloading anti-virus definitions from security companies, but there is a limit to the number of definitions a single personal computer can maintain before its computing power is overwhelmed, Sunner said.
Security companies GFI Software Ltd and Kaspersky Labs last week announced that the Kaspersky Labs anti-virus technology will be offered as part of GFIs email security product, GFI MailSecurity for Exchange/SMTP. GFI MailSecurity for Exchange/SMTP 8 is an email content security product that uses multiple anti-virus engines, exploit detection, an HTML threats engine, and content and attachment checking to scan incoming and outgoing email for viruses, exploits and attacks.
Indias telecommunications regulator ordered cellular service providers to stop forcing voice mail on customers who do not want the service. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India said this week that it had been deluged with complaints from mobile phone users who said they were paying for voice mail without their consent. “Although the service does not accrue a monthly charge, the called party has to pay charges on retrieval of these messages,” the agency said.
James Bond star Pierce Brosnan has won control of the Internet name www.piercebrosnan.com in a ruling by a United Nations panel. Arbitrators from the World Intellectual Property Organization ordered the transfer of the domain name to the Irish actor, who had complained that it was being used illegally. The ruling said the registered owner of the name — Alberta Hot Rods, of Alberta, Canada — had no rights or interests in the name and was using it in bad faith.