Kaspersky Anti-Malware Package Bundles In Eight Products

Kaspersky Lab has bundled eight security products into its anti-malware suite to provide seamless security from endpoint and mobile devices all the way to the gateway.

A mix of new and enhanced software, the Anti-Malware Protection System includes Kaspersky Security For Internet Gateway to scan Web traffic and the Endpoint Security For Smartphone, with support for Symbian, Windows Mobile, and Blackberry phones.

Virus Engine Updated For New Threat Detection

The enhanced applications have a newly updated anti-virus engine and include Kaspersky Anti-Virus 8.0 for Windows Servers Enterprise Edition, Linux and FreeBSD file servers, and for Lotus Domino; Kaspersky Security 8.0 for Microsoft Exchange Servers 2007/2010; and Kaspersky Endpoint Security 8.0 for Linux and Mac.

“This launch is not about products. It’s about establishing the best anti-malware protection across every layer of the enterprise,” said Gary Mullen, senior director for marketing at Kaspersky.

Malware has become “incredibly sophisticated” and have many threat vectors, so it is important to have multiple layers of protection, said Mullen. With a mobile workforce that gets online outside of the office, having just an anti-virus on the gateway is not enough, he added.

Kaspersky made it a point to have the same anti-virus engine in every product component to ensure the “most comprehensive” security was available.

Kaspersky Security for Internet Gateway scans only Web traffic, and does not scan traffic going through other ports the organisation may have opened up in the firewall, said Mullen. Enterprises can open up non-Web ports (ports other than 443, 80, 8000, or 8080) in the firewall to give users access to certain applications and machines, leaving them unprotected unless there are other levels of protection in place.

While malware specifically targeting Macs and Linux platforms are still not as prevalent as Windows-based attacks, IT managers cannot afford to ignore endpoint security for those operating systems. With OS X gaining market share, cyber-criminals are using Macs as “jump points” to infect Windows machines on the internal network, said Mullen.

In other words, if a Mac user comes across a virus, worm or Trojan, either on a USB drive or from an online source, that piece of malware wouldn’t affect the Mac itself but can hop through the network looking for file servers or other Windows machines on the network to infect.

Kaspersky has developed a centralised management console that gives a complete view into all the malware risks within the organisation’s environment. The console allows IT administrators to manage heterogeneous platforms, automate deployment, simplify maintenance, and upgrade security software, according to the company.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus 8.0 for Linux and FreeBSD File Servers offers protection for open-source platforms and remote management capabilities, said Kaspersky. It also has specific support for EMC’s Celerra devices.

The updated anti-virus engine is integrated with a new anti-spam engine for the email security products for IBM’s Lotus Domino and Microsoft Exchange Servers. Endpoint Security for Smartphone features anti-virus, anti-theft, remote recovery and data privacy. Mullen added that new Windows Mobile 7 phones would also be protected under the smartphone security product, alongside the older Windows Mobile phones, Blackberries, and Symbian-based phones.

The Anti-Malware Protection System will be available this month and customers can choose to purchase individual programs “a la carte or as part of a suite that matches what they want to protect”, said Mullen. The business suite will include only the file server and endpoint security packages. The enterprise suite will add on the email security package.

All eight applications will be available in the total protection suite and the management console will be included for free regardless of which suite is purchased.