AV alone leaves companies vulnerable

Simple anti-virus software no longer offers sufficient protection, leaving many businesses vulnerable to virus attacks, say local anti-virus experts.

Y3K MD Ryan Price says personal firewalls are now a necessity as viruses become ever more pervasive. "A main concern is that new viruses can take confidential information from your computers, so I say simple anti-virus isn`t enough anymore," he says.

Local companies are vulnerable to various attacks, the consequences of which could be severe, says Price: "I think we are just waiting in SA for the first case of confidential client information getting stolen, and somebody is going to get hurt soon, unless companies start taking prevention seriously."

"You need a personal firewall; you need to know if someone is trying to get something from your computer. I think it is something that every home user should have, as well as everyone within an organisation.

Symantec regional manager Patrick Evans agrees: "Considering the fact that 2636 new vulnerabilities were detected in 2003, there is definitely a need for a more holistic approach to security issues, above and beyond anti-virus measures alone."

But the CEO of local Sophos distributor NetXactics, Brett Myroff, says he believes that an anti-virus solution can be sufficient - provided it is correctly maintained and has a central point of responsibility. "If you look at some of the viruses that have been 'in the wild` recently, there were patches available for a number of months before the viruses even appeared.

"If your business is running freeware anti-virus software and you`re looking to invest in a personal firewall, rather put those funds into an anti-virus solution produced by a reputable company."

While anti-virus software is essential, Price believes a firewall must be part of any holistic anti-virus solution, to ensure that the technology is tackling both known and unknown attacks: "I think that any anti-virus vendor that is selling single-dimensional anti-virus isn`t giving a complete solution. They need to offer both anti-virus and personal firewall."

Companies need to be aware of the growing threat that viruses pose, says Evans, and ensure their anti-virus solutions remain up to date. "As viruses become more sophisticated, levels of protection must also move forward," says Evans, and adds that intrusion detection must be a part of any solution.

"Blended threats these days are not just standard viruses. We are faced with viruses that capture passwords, targeting backdoors left behind by previous attacks and blended threats. Intrusion detection protects companies from potential damage when a firewall is breached."

According to Price the recent ABSA e-fraud, which saw a number of customers` accounts compromised, highlighted the need for improved local security and awareness.

"With a personal firewall, attacks against individual computers, and sensitive information residing thereon, would not be allowed without the users knowledge and express permission. If someone were searching the Internet for holes, a personal firewall would basically hide that computer from the rest of the world so no one could access it."

Personal firewalls now cost significantly less, and Price believes they are now financially viable to even the smallest business: "Prices have come down dramatically over the past year. For us, 20% more cost than the anti-virus software provides a personal firewall with a small amount of intrusion detection. You are looking at costs of under R100 per computer per year," he says.

"It is a minimal cost for much more protection."