Trend Micro extends virus protection to the network layer

Offering powerful new tools, services, and expertise to help customers manage the costs of the outbreak lifecycle, Enterprise Protection Strategy continues to address evolving security issues through technological innovation.

In recent years, viruses have evolved from application-based executable malware, such as the "I Love You" or "LOVELETTER" virus (2000) that was executed from an email attachment, to network viruses such as "LOVGATE" (2003) that propagated through network shares, opened backdoors, and stole system information. At the same time, vulnerabilities to networks have expanded to include unprotected mobile devices, already infected machines, unpatched servers (those without up-to-date software patches), and the narrowing time window between notification of system vulnerabilities and the arrival of threats that exploit them.

"Network worms continue to be problematic to organizations. Experience has shown that network worm attacks are particularly difficult to contain with traditional, signature-based client and parameter virus filtering," says Peter Firstbrook, senior research analyst at META Group. "The speed at which Worms proliferate can cause crippling network traffic with only a few infected clients, making remote identification, isolation, and repair of infected machines difficult. Organizations are looking for proactive protection policies, rapid identification of rogue/infected clients, and the ability to isolate and repair infected machines during an outbreak."

Ironically, although most organizations claim to use some form of virus protection, costs due to outbreaks remain high ($12.5 Billion USD based on Computer Economics estimates for 2003), mostly due to new expenditures required to cleanup after an attack, and attempts to harden network environments to prevent future attacks.

Continuing its tradition of technological advancement and customer-driven solutions, Trend Micro is extending Enterprise Protection Strategy to the network layer to help prevent the possibilities of network vulnerabilities and subsequent potential for outbreaks. The newest tool for applying Enterprise Protection Strategy is Trend Micro™ Network VirusWall™ 1200, an outbreak prevention appliance designed to detect and block viruses within the network data stream, and assist security administrators to monitor network activity for early warning signs of outbreaks through heuristic analysis. Network VirusWall is supported through the latest version of Trend Micro Control Manager™ (version 3.0), which features enhanced reporting and cascading capabilities for centralized management and deployment to multi-level networks.

"We realized years ago that the existence of viruses and network-based threats could not be avoided, however, outbreaks could be prevented. Through Enterprise Protection Strategy, Trend Micro focused on educating customers on how to prevent outbreaks, and gave them tools and information with which to act," commented Steve Chang, CEO and co-founder of Trend Micro, Inc. "This principle still applies today, even in the face of network viruses. Enterprise Protection Strategy is a powerful approach to thwarting threats even as they evolve into more destructive forms."

Network VirusWall 1200 and Control Manager 3.0 also enable Trend Micro Vulnerability Assessment, which allows administrators to identify and isolate vulnerable or infected machines to preserve the integrity of the network, and enable Trend Micro Outbreak Prevention Service, which applies timely and precise policy settings to help stop the spread of outbreaks.

Enterprise Protection Strategy has been honored by Network Magazine as 2003 "Product of the Year" (May 2003) and won the "Editor's Choice" from PC Magazine (April 2003).