05 Dec 2001
US Government anti-virus advice won't work for all, says Sophos
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 Graham Cluley, senior technology
consultant at Sophos Anti-Virus. "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 worm
and causing $80 million worth of damage," continued Cluley.
"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.
About Sophos
More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Sophos is committed to providing security and data protection solutions that are simple to manage, deploy and use and that deliver the industry's lowest total cost of ownership. Sophos offers award-winning encryption, endpoint security, web, email, and network access control solutions backed by SophosLabs - a global network of threat intelligence centers. With more than two decades of experience, Sophos is regarded as a leader in security and data protection by top analyst firms and has received many industry awards.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.