Antivirus company Trend Micro has announced a suite of services
designed to help users block viruses from entering their networks
after an outbreak, but before virus definitions are available, as
well as clean up after outbreaks.
To accommodate the latest services, Trend Micro will also be
upgrading its full line of products over the course of the next
month.
Users told Trend Micro that while they were happy with the scanning
and blocking functions traditionally offered by antivirus software,
they needed more help before and after outbreaks. Customers
complained that they are left exposed once an outbreak has started,
but before a virus definition has been released, and that they
would like more help in cleaning up after outbreaks.
In response to this, Trend rolled out three new services: Outbreak
Prevention; Threat-based Scanning; and Damage Assessment and
Cleanup, All three services will be managed from Trend Micro's
Control Manager management console, which is also being
upgraded.
The Outbreak Prevention service sends detailed information and a
policy template designed to block the virus from the network, but
not delete it, to the Control Manager as soon as Trend has
information about a virus outbreak.
From the Control Manager, the policy template can be published to
all systems running Trend antivirus products. Information from the
Outbreak Prevention service can be downloaded automatically and
published to systems whenever new information is available, or can
be installed manually.
Threat-based Scanning will allow users to scan their systems for
viruses based on virus profiles - what the virus files look like,
how they are named, how they act and so on. These virus profiles
are likely to be offered only for high-risk viruses.
Damage Assessment and Cleanup services gives users a way to scan
their systems to repair the changes made by viruses. The scanning
will, initially, take place from whatever Trend Micro antivirus
software is on the device being scanned, but at a later date the
company plans to offer a server version of the software that will
be able to scan systems remotely.
The services are immediately available worldwide, except in Japan
where they will become available in a few months' time. They will
be offered for free to users when they upgrade their Trend Micro
software in 2002. Beginning in 2003, the services will start at
$750 (£514) a year for 25 users.