Security news
Security news23 June 2004
Sophos protects Mac OS X users from virus attack
Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac OS X provides centralised control for businesses
Sophos, a world leader in protecting businesses from spam and viruses, today announced the release of Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac OS X, a product designed to protect computers running Macintosh operating system 10.2 and above from all known viruses.
Ideal for multi-national organisations, Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac OS X is available in five languages: English, French, Spanish, German and Japanese. It allows users to perform on-demand scanning of files and folders and its on-access scanner safeguards computers by detecting and disinfecting both Macintosh and non-Macintosh viruses. Any file that is found to be infected will not be allowed to run, ensuring the computer remains virus-free.
Keeping anti-virus protection updated is crucial, so Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac OS X enables automatic updates of all desktops, whether they are connected to a local area network or to the internet. Remote users can keep their systems up-to-date, even if they cannot access the network, with automatic updates from their company website. Reporting can also be sent to a remote location. Sophos Anti-Virus uses Mac OS X's own SMTP client to send alert messages, so if a user is disconnected from the network, messages will queue until a connection is found, ensuring no alerts are lost. This also ensures the administrator is always kept informed.
Unlike anti-virus products available from other vendors, Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac OS X offers a central configuration of update and anti-virus settings, including the ability to manually administer virus identity files. Administrators can create a central installation source and install to all networked Macs automatically using XServer tools such as Network Install to provide automatic updates as and when required.
"Despite the popular misconception that Mac users aren't affected by the virus plague, Apple customers need to take the virus threat seriously," said Phil Wood, product manager for Sophos Anti-Virus. "Sophos's latest anti-virus solution ensures all Mac users are protected, whether in the office or on the road, and enables third-party developers to incorporate virus-scanning into their own products."
Users who choose to access the Unix operating system directly on Mac OS X will benefit from the availability of a command line version of Sophos Anti-Virus, allowing administrators to run it through the Mac Terminal utility.
The enhanced security model prevents normal users from disabling their anti-virus software. Users need to have administrative rights in order to install and remove Sophos Anti-Virus or change any of the System Preferences, including enabling and disabling InterCheck.
Further reading
- Read more about Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac OS X
- Users of Mac OS X 10.3 benefit from centralised network updating
- Evaluate Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac OS X now
- Existing customer? Download Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac OS X
About Sophos
Sophos enables enterprises all over the world to secure and control their IT infrastructure. Sophos's network access control, endpoint, web and email solutions simplify security to provide integrated defenses against malware, spyware, intrusions, unwanted applications, spam, policy abuse, data leakage and compliance drift. With over 20 years of experience, Sophos protects over 100 million users in nearly 150 countries with its reliably engineered security solutions and services. Recognized for its high level of customer satisfaction and powerful yet easy-to-use solutions, Sophos has received many industry awards, as well as positive reviews and certifications.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com
