Internet service provider M-Web joined the fight against viruses this week with the announcement of a new virus scanning service for its members.
Using Symantec AntiVirus for Gateways, M-Web will now scan all incoming mail and either delete or repair infected e-mails before routing them to their final destination. Andrew Milne, senior GM at M-Web Online, says the service has already been implemented and will be applied to all member e-mail.
Pierre de Brandt, project manager at M-Web Online, says the scanning service is performed on 21 Sun servers and users should not experience any noticeable delays in mail delivery times. "We have had a lot of focus on that and we have used a number of monitoring tools to check for any delays."
De Brandt says infected e-mail that cannot be repaired will be automatically deleted and a message sent to both parties to inform them of the details of the infection. E-mail that can be repaired will be fixed before being routed to its final destination. The sender will be informed by e-mail of the details of the infection.
"The service will provide better network throughput because it will reduce the number of viruses on the network... and prevent users having to download unnecessary e-mails." He adds that Web users will also experience improved performance because of the reduced number of viruses on the network.
M-Web members send and receive approximately 65 million e-mails a month, says Milne; a number that peaks at midday and weekend evenings with around 60 000 to 80 000 e-mails an hour.
"With new [virus] strains appearing ... every week, it`s easy to understand why protection against malicious computer virus infection has become a global priority," says Milne. "M-Web is now becoming the first line of defence in the battle against viruses."
De Brandt says the service has been running for a few days and figures indicate that just under 1% of the e-mails scanned contained viruses and worms ranging from the KAK worm to the SirCam worm. De Brandt expects this number to decrease dramatically because of the virus scanning service.
"Users will receive less infected e-mails which decreases the rate of replication," he says. "The virus scanner is updated every day ... and offers users 24-hour surveillance."
Milne says, however, that he doesn`t expect the service to reduce Symantec`s retail sales to small business and home users because the service offers just one line of defence and users will still need to invest in software to protect their computers from other sources of infection.
"Behind this service there is an education process ... that will create greater awareness around viruses," says De Brandt, who expects the improved awareness of viruses to increase the demand for anti-virus software.
Milne says the virus scanning service forms just part of a range of value-added services that M-Web intends to introduce over the coming months, including a parental guidance facility planned for early next year. Milne says all user e-mail will be scanned and members cannot opt out of the service.
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