Symantec Stops Worms at the Source

With Code Red, Sircam, Anna Kournikova, and others, viruses and worms are on most everyone's mind these days. Not surprisingly, they're also a source of concern for Symantec, which on Wednesday announced the release of a new product aimed at not only stopping viruses, but also filtering the files that may contain worms.

The new product, Symantec Web Security, is a gateway filtering system that incorporates Symantec antivirus software with an application that can filter unwanted files sent over Hypertext Transfer Protocol or File Transfer Protocol, the company says in a statement.

The software is available now, but pricing information was not provided.

The antivirus component of Symantec Web Security incorporates the company's NAVEX virus scanning technology and its Digital Immune System to provide automated submission of possible viruses, as well as automated delivery of updates, the company says.

Symantec Web Security also filters files based on user-defined rules in 31 categories. The software can perform context-sensitive analysis to determine whether a file ought to be blocked. Filtering applications are particularly useful in curbing the spread of worms like Anna Kournikova or Sircam, as those worms arrive and spread as e-mail attachments.

Both the antivirus and filtering options can be managed on a per-user or per-group basis, Symantec says.

Symantec Web Security is compatible with all firewalls, proxy, and caching servers and runs on Solaris, Windows NT, and Windows 2000, the company says.