E-Mail Appliance Catches Viruses Fast

IronPort Systems Inc., an E-mail infrastructure and services company, has introduced the latest version of its E-mail security appliance that incorporates virus-fighting capabilities.

Virus-outbreak filter technology in the C-Series appliance detects viruses faster than methods employed by antivirus companies such as Sophos, Symantec, and TrendMicro, IronPort says. Its filters can detect and quarantine viruses within 15 minutes--much faster than virus-definition signatures are typically released by antivirus vendors--reducing the window of vulnerability, the company says.

IronPort is able to do that because it maintains what it says is the largest private E-mail-monitoring network, SenderBase.org. The company compiles data from more than 28,000 domains enrolled in its Bonded Sender E-mail reputation service, which it analyzes to determine the origin and volume of messages, information that helps detect viruses.

"It's an important step, and there's nothing comparable," says Peter Christy, co-founder of NetsEdge Research, an Internet infrastructure-consulting firm. "Even though all the virus-definition companies work as diligently as possible to devise filters as soon as viruses are seen, there's a significant time lag between detection and the availability of a virus signature."