Security news
Security news15 April 1999
Melissa mayhem magnified by ISPs
Scanning at source could have stopped virus earlier
ISPs could have helped to prevent the quick spread and impact of the Melissa virus, according to Sophos, the UK anti-virus software vendor. A large number of computer users were left open to attack due to the failure of ISPs to scan all emails for viruses.
Star Internet is currently the only ISP providing virus scanning and handles up to 10,000 emails per hour. The scanning system prevents, on average, 100 infected mails reaching their destination each day. However, Star caught 185 cases of the Melissa virus alone by the end of Monday, March 29, the day it hit the UK.
As more people gain access to the Internet through free services, Sophos is warning of the increasing danger of viruses spreading because of inadequate security. It is encouraging ISPs to take more responsibility for the services they provide to customers.
"Inevitably, the more the Internet becomes accessible to unsuspecting members of the public, the greater the need for education about security measures," said Ian Whalley, senior programmer at Sophos. "We are currently in negotiation with other ISPs to broaden their offerings to include automatic virus scanning. We believe it would be a move welcomed by all."
"If there's one lesson to be learnt from the havoc wreaked by Melissa, it's that the damage could have been lessened if more ISPs caught the virus before it went further afield," said Mark Sunner, technical director at Star Internet. "We took the initiative because we believe ISPs that don't offer this kind of value-add won't make it as far as the Millennium. The scale of investment for an ISP to undertake such a project is huge, but customers are right to make those demands."
Melissa came in at number five on Sophos's list of Top Ten viruses during March, despite not striking until the end of the month.
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
