Sophos, a world leader of corporate anti-virus protection,
believes that the US Government's call for anti-virus vendors to
issue automatic software updates is out-of-step with users'
requirements. Following comments from Richard Clarke, President
Bush's cyberspace security adviser - in which Clarke claimed it
shouldn't be 'beyond the wit of this industry' to force patches on
users - Sophos would like to add that many users have chosen to be
in control of their own updating procedures.
"I fear the US Government is making comments without being fully
aware of the facts," said Stuart Palmer, managing director of
Sophos Anti-Virus for Australia and New Zealand. "Most anti-virus
vendors give their customers the option of automating updates, but
some businesses are reticent about outsourcing crucial security
measures. For peace of mind, they'd rather implement their own
updates to ensure they work properly for their environment."
Sophos does concede that the US Government has a vital role to
play in anti-virus protection.
"The US courts have still to sentence David L. Smith, even
though it's more than two years since he pleaded guilty to writing
the Melissa virus and causing 80 million dollars' worth of damage,"
continued Palmer. "Sentencing could go a long way to deterring
other virus writers - this would be a real boost to businesses
operating under the threat of virus infection."
Sophos has published a ten point
plan describing safe computing measures companies can take to
reduce the virus threat.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.