Sophos Inc. unveiled the latest version of its MailMonitor antivirus software for Microsoft Corp.’s Exchange Server 2003 on Monday and said customers will benefit from a new feature that aims to stop malware from entering networks at the gateway.
Sophos’ MailMonitor for Exchange version 1.6 scans the server for e-mail worms, viruses and Trojan horses and enables network administrators to disinfect, delete or quarantine infected messages.
The software also attempts to stop viruses from entering a company’s network at the gateway and scans inter-office systems and e-mails that could contain malware before they are opened.
Chris Belthoff, senior security analyst for Sophos in Lynnfield, Mass., said the new version now includes support for Microsoft’s application program interface (API) version 2.5 for virus scanning. “With the new virus API that Microsoft has, we are able to read and detect any virus right out of the information store of the Exchange server,” he said.
With virus attacks on the rise, Sophos’ Belthoff admitted that staying ahead of the virus curve is challenging for all antivirus companies.
“From the standpoint of the virus vendors, we are in a constant battle to keep up with these threats, it’s just a day by day process,” he said.
The Sophos MailMonitor 1.6 software only works with Microsoft’s Exchange 2000 and 2003 servers, the company said.
In related antivirus news on Monday, Network Associates Inc. announced the new McAfee AVERT (Antivirus Emergency Response Team) DAT (virus definition data files) Notification Service, a free subscription-based service offered to customers already using the company’s McAfee software. The service will send updates to subscribers every Wednesday with additional bulletins when an emergency set of DATs has been released due to medium risk or higher AVERT virus announcement, the company said.
In Canada, Sophos’ subsidiary Keating Technologies Inc. is in Markham, Ont., and online at www.keating.com. Network Associates in Canada is in Richmond Hill, Ont., and is online at www.nai.com/international/canada.