Symantec Introduces New Multi-Layered Approach for Combating Enterprise Spam

Single easy-to-manage solution for enterprise mail security

SYDNEY --NSW -- April 29, 2003 -- April 29, 2003 - Symantec the world leader in Internet security, today announced a new mail security solution, Symantec AntiVirus for SMTP Gateways 3.1, which introduces multi-layered spam prevention integrated with award-winning virus protection. Enterprises now have a single solution for turning their Internet email gateways into a first line of defence against both the growing onslaught of unsolicited email and the danger of malicious code.

"Enterprises are experiencing an increase in spam infiltrating their networks, along with the constant threat of Internet hazards such as malicious codes, viruses and hackers," said John Donovan, managing director, Symantec Australia and New Zealand. "Symantec AntiVirus for SMTP Gateways reduces the amount of spam entering the network whilst continuing to provide a barrier against other cyber threats."

According to a new report from META Group, leading antivirus vendors will incorporate other forms of content management (antispam, URL and mobile code filtering) at the enterprise gateway by the year 2004. The report also predicts antispam will be one of the capabilities Global 2000 companies will expect from antivirus vendors1.

"Spam grows exponentially, flooding the Internet with billions of unwanted messages each day," added Donovan. "In addition to spam being a nuisance, this deluge is impacting mail storage as well as worker productivity. Symantec's new mail security solution is designed to reduce spam and stop viruses at the earliest point of entry to the network."

Spam Detection Through Blacklists, Whitelists and Heuristics Spammers have been extremely innovative at bypassing spam defences. As a result, any single technology; whether filtering-based, heuristic-based, or signature-based, is simply not enough to address the problem effectively. Multiple layers of spam detection are needed in addition to false positive prevention and management.

Symantec mail security offering introduces the integration of a number of layers of detection, including a heuristic anti-spam engine and support for multiple third-party real-time blacklists (RBL), in addition to customised blacklists and whitelists:

Heuristic antispam engine: One filtering layer in Symantec AntiVirus for SMTP Gateway is provided by a heuristic antispam scanning engine, which uses neural-network technology to tag messages when certain thresholds are reached. IT Administrators can adjust the sensitivity of the heuristics engine to strike the desired balance between maximum detection and minimum false positives.

Third-party real-time blacklists that list IP addresses based on known sources of spam are commonly used by administrators and provide another effective layer of defence. There are more than 125 such publicly available real-time blacklist services on the Internet, and administrators can use multiple lists at the same time for maximum coverage.

A custom whitelist feature is another filtering layer that can be used to prevent false positives and remediate problems when a sending mail server has been blacklisted. Administrators populate the whitelists with the domains of customers, partners, and other entities who are the source of desired communication. Whitelisted domains are exempt from scans by both the blacklist and heuristics filtering layers.

Subject-line filtering, a more traditional method of spam detection, is also available. The subject lines of messages that are not detected by the blacklists or the heuristics can be scanned for specific keywords, and wildcard support gives this feature additional flexibility, especially against polymorphic spam, where the subject line is slightly altered for each message sent.

Symantec mail security solution, Symantec AntiVirus for SMTP Gateways, is backed by an industry-leading team of dedicated security experts at Symantec Security Response. With around-the-clock access to up-to-the-minute virus information, as well as rapid response and global support, Symantec mail security solution is a fast and reliable high-performance solution for eliminating e-mail-borne viruses and spam. Webcast

To learn more about Symantec mail security solution, an on-demand Webcast "Solutions for Combating Enterprise Spam is available at: http://enterprisesecurity.symantec.com/Content/webcastslist.cfm.

Availability
Symantec AntiVirus for SMTP Gateways 3.1 with its powerful antispam enhancements is available now. For trialware, or to obtain licensing information or locate a reseller, visit http://enterprisesecurity.symantec.com/ on the World Wide Web. 1 Antivirus METAspectrum, March 2003, Peter Firstbrook

About Symantec
Symantec (Nasdaq: SYMC), the world leader in Internet security technology, provides a broad range of content and network security software and appliance solutions to individuals, enterprises and service providers. The company is a leading provider of client, gateway and server security solutions for virus protection, firewall and virtual private network, vulnerability management, intrusion detection, Internet content and e-mail filtering, remote management technologies and security services to enterprises and service providers around the world. Symantec's Norton brand of consumer security products is a leader in worldwide retail sales and industry awards. Headquartered in Cupertino, Calif., Symantec has worldwide operations in 38 countries. For more information, please visit www.symantec.com.au

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