Here’s a look at 10 additional technologies circulating through the industry spin cycle.

By Network World Staff
Network World, 09/11/00

Stopping a virus cold

Some say it's in the hands of the users; others say it's the software. But when it comes to an e-mail virus potentially crippling corporate networks, the latest buzz is that a combination of cautious users and antivirus software makes the best defense.

User responsibility is critical; if users are trained not to open unknown attachments, for example, they can stop a virus from spreading. But recent developments from a handful of software vendors, including Aladdin Knowledge Systems, Computer Associates, FinJan Software and Pelican Security, offer hope that even with careless users, the network can be protected, says Jan Sundgren, an analyst with Giga Information Group in Cambridge, Mass. These new products use "behavior-blocking" technologies that monitor what a piece of code does without necessarily identifying that code as a virus, he says. They intercept abnormal code at the firewall, and will even push updates from the server to the desktop without user involvement.

The recent "malformed e-mail header" vulnerability found infecting the PCs of Microsoft Outlook users shows why this type of software is needed, Sundgren says. In this case, an e-mail arrives and downloads the malicious code without even a click from the user. "Even if users are 100% responsible," he says, "you are not 100% safe."

- Denise Dubie

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