NCJ Number
206565
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 31 Issue: 7 Dated: July 2004 Pages: 116,118-120,122,124
Date Published
July 2004
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article describes the anti-virus software on the market that has the capability to protect the computer networks of law enforcement agencies.
Abstract
No organization is less likely than any other organization to be affected by malicious computer viruses. Virus protection for law enforcement agencies must be large scale enough to meet the increasingly strict government standards for data security. Virus protection software for small and medium businesses is described first, and includes a new line of products from Trend Micro Inc. Trend Micro Inc. designed the virus protection line for organizations that have no information technology (IT) staff; it is the only company currently designing products specifically for small- and medium-sized businesses. Another of their products, the Client/Server Suite (CSS) protects networks with only PC’s and servers; an important characteristic is that CSS protects many different virus entry points. Trend Micro Inc. offers system maintenance; virus patter files and scan engines are automatically updated. Network-oriented virus protection software is described next, such as Sophos Anti-Virus, which has a proprietary scan engine and a technology it calls InterCheck. Three different detection levels are operated with the scan engine: patterning matching, heuristics, and emulation. InterCheck then promotes scanning efficiency by using a “checksum” to identify which files need scanning, such as e-mail and Web documents. Advanced Scan and repair technology are explored next, with a focus on Symantec Anti-Virus Enterprise Edition, which has an advanced scan and repair capacity on three levels. System administrators appreciate Symantec’s central consol and its ability to show all virus activity on the network. Managed service anti-virus solutions are also discussed, featuring Network Associates Inc.’s McAfee VirusScan ASap. This product boasts an on-line central management console and eliminates up to 80 percent of costs associated with anti-virus software management. McAfee VirusScan ASap is perfect for smaller organizations with little or no IT staff. Finally, scalable, flexible software is described, featuring Central Command Inc.’s Vexira software. Key features of Vexira include separate versions for desktop and e-mail servers, its small installation size, and its ability to enhance its own efficiency by excluding some processes.