jdhill 0 #1 February 8, 2005 So, not only is Microsoft going to sell a vulnerable product in their operating system, but now they are going to sell the fix for it too... nice... QuoteSEATTLE (AP) - Microsoft Corp. announced plans Tuesday to acquire a company whose software aims to protect corporate networks from e-mail borne threats and said it would sell a product based on the technology. The deal for Sybari Software Inc., along with word that Microsoft is gearing up to release its first set of commercial antivirus products, could hurt security companies including Symantec Corp. and McAfee Inc., whose stock prices fell. Terms of the deal, the latest in a series of security-related purchases by Microsoft, were not disclosed. Sybari is privately held but filed papers last year for an initial public stock offering. The Sybari acquisition will produce Microsoft's first official separate paid antivirus offering, said Mike Nash, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Security Business and Technology Unit. Sybari has about 10,000 clients and is based in East Northport, N.Y. Its software scans businesses' e-mail to try to ward off attacks. Nash said Microsoft would make the Sybari-based product, geared toward business customers, available under the Microsoft brand soon after the deal closes. Microsoft has not yet said how much the new product will cost. In an interview, Nash said Microsoft would subsequently release other products, for both consumers and business users, aimed at protecting computer desktops from Internet-based attacks. He could not yet say exactly when those would be released, however. Symantec shares fell 1.33 cents, or 5.6 percent, to $22.27 on the Nasdaq Stock Market on Tuesday, while shares in McAfee dropped $2.19, or 8.4 percent, to $23.77 on the New York Stock Exchange. Sybari is just the latest company Microsoft has bought so it can make its own security products. It purchased a Romanian antivirus firm, GeCAD Software Srl., for an undisclosed amount in 2003. Then, in December, it bought Giant Company Software Inc., which makes tools to remove spyware, software that monitors a person's computer habits, slows down computers, triggers pop-up ads and worse. Earlier this year, Microsoft began offering free programs to remove viruses and spyware. It plans to eventually charge for more sophisticated antivirus tools, and it has said it may one day charge for spyware removal products as well. The moves all come amid a continued onslaught of attacks against Microsoft's dominant Windows operating system and other products. As the attacks tangle up businesses and harm consumers, the company has made bolstering security a priority. Until now, however, those efforts have involved free offerings, including monthly security patches and a major security upgrade to the Windows XP operating system. Offering more sophisticated security tools for a fee could threaten companies that sell similar products. Enrique Salem, a Symantec senior vice president in charge of security products, downplayed Microsoft's latest move into his company's turf. He said Symantec's big business customers want products that can work with multiple platforms, including open-source Linux as well as Windows, and argued that the Sybari-based Microsoft offering will only solve part of a client's problems. Microsoft shares rose 10 cents to $26.26 in afternoon trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market. Link Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightingale 0 #2 February 8, 2005 The solution: Here Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
justinb138 0 #3 February 8, 2005 Nice article. The company I work for has had 2 problems with viruses in the last 6 months (that involved shutting down nearly every one of the few hundred PC's in the building on one occasion), and I can't imagine what those 2 events have cost. I'd get a Mac at home if I was more familiar with them, but for now I've got 2 linux machines, and I'm stuck with XP Pro on my Vaio notebook (Linux didn't like some of it's hardware). As long as I run Ad Aware 2 or 3 times a week (after updating the database), and antivirus software every week it seems to do alright.....most of the time.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 20 #4 February 8, 2005 Mac OS is not immune to viruses by a long shot. There have been many cases of Mac viruses over the years. No platform including Linux is immune. Generally though if you are using Linux you are a power user and configure your box a lot more then a general user will. Build a standerd Linux box out of the box (No lock down or patches) and put it on a direct connection to the internet. It will probally be owned with in 15 minutes. Fastest we had one owned at my house was 38 seconds. Windows was'nt too much better with it being owned in 25 seconds one time. Generally it was about 5-10 minutes and bye-bye PC. Mac, Linux, Windows, Unix... they all have security issues. Look at SecurityFocus and almost every software out there has bugs on it. The issue is how fast are the holes fixed. Apple is doing the "Release patches as they get fixed". They have security patches of 18+ megs. Microsoft schedules their releases the second Tuesday of every month (today ). All the *nix models are out there each doing their own thing. Its user education thats lacking. You can have the best OS in the world but if you have users that are installing "CometCursor" its their own damn fault. I've always been one in favor of needing to pass a test to be allowed on the internet.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jdhill 0 #5 February 8, 2005 As a Mac user, I know I am not imune from viruses... the people out there writting viruses are targeting the big bad MS (because they are MS, and it is what the majority of the business world uses), and not spending time on the anti-MS Mac world... as Mac gains more market share, particularly in the business world (if it ever happens), that will change... I just thought it was kinda ironic that MS would sell you an OS with all kinds of holes, then sell you another piece of software to safeguard your system from the holes it knows is there... I would say the same thing is Apple bought an anti-virus software company. JAll that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChasingBlueSky 0 #6 February 8, 2005 MS does not equal security, and it never will. While there will be some companies that will use a total solution from Microsoft, but it won't be many. Besides I doubt that any CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) person will recommend that solution. The only place MS may make an impact is in the end user space - which will damage McAfee and Symantic (who was recently purchased)._________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again..... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChasingBlueSky 0 #7 February 8, 2005 Quote as Mac gains more market share, particularly in the business world (if it ever happens), that will change... Psst....MS is the largest supplier of MAC software._________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again..... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jdhill 0 #8 February 8, 2005 QuoteMS is the largest supplier of MAC software. I wasn't aware that they were the largest overall, but figured they were the largest for "productivity" type stuff (i.e. Office)... It seems Apple might be trying to change that with iWork (word processing and presentation software). If the Mac platform gains more popularity in the workplace, virus writters will spend more time attacking OSX or apps that run on the platform (probably starting with MS ones) JAll that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skydyvr 0 #9 February 9, 2005 QuoteAs long as I run Ad Aware 2 or 3 times a week (after updating the database), and antivirus software every week it seems to do alright.....most of the time.. Chill on the porn and gambling sites a bit, and you won't have to decontaminate so often. . . =(_8^(1) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
