Kaspersky Lab Launches Linux Security Initiative for U.S. Market

Kaspersky Lab, Inc., home of one of the world's foremost Internet security labs, today announced the release of three new versions of Kaspersky® Anti-Virus designed specifically to protect Linux and Unix email and file servers and workstations, running on the Linux, FreeBSD and Open BSD operating systems. The entire line has been updated to version 5.5 and leverages a strong foundation of years of open source security and research from the Kaspersky labs based in Europe.

Although these are the first formal Linux security offerings from Kaspersky in the U.S. market, the company has a strong pedigree in Linux security. Kaspersky was the first ever antivirus vendor to introduce a Linux offering, and the entire line has been in use throughout the European market since 1999, where Linux enterprise adoption rate is significantly larger than the emerging U.S. Linux market. Like all of Kaspersky's antivirus offerings, these solutions detect and neutralize malicious code in all objects on file servers, workstations and mail servers. Standard user friendly features include flexible antivirus protection configuration and automatic downloading of antivirus database updates with the industry's fastest rate of updates and unique hourly update option for perpetual protection.

“Although the proliferation of Linux malware has not grabbed the attention of the general public as of yet, the threat is very real,” said Brian Burke, IDC Program Manager. “Protection on Linux servers represent a very important first line of defense against malicious attacks against other servers and attached clients. Moreover, as Linux becomes further integrated into the enterprise, hackers will have an even greater opportunity to uncover insecure avenues into corporate networks.”

In these updated versions, users can choose between two types of antivirus databases – standard and extended. These protect against all forms of attack, including viruses, spyware, worms, Trojans and other malware, along with the remote administration tools that can be used by hackers and other potentially hostile programs. New technologies have also been implemented in Kaspersky's antivirus database and application update module to include integrity and usability checks for downloaded databases specifically to reduce network traffic and improve overall performance.

A number of innovations have noticeably improved productivity for the Workstation, File Server and Mail Server solutions. The iChecker technology, first introduced by Kaspersky Lab for Windows products, is now available for Linux, FreeBSD and OpenBSD as well. iChecker implements check-summing to support antivirus scanning of modified files only, which significantly decreases system load. Moreover, the option to scan the file system in background mode decreases system load even further.

Kavmonitor (on-access scanner), a completely new component, supports real time system scanning, and identifies and quarantines all suspicious objects, minimizing the likelihood of malware infiltration into a network. System administrators will also appreciate the improved management options, such as simplified installation and de-installation procedures. Specifically, it is now possible to import settings from older versions of Kaspersky Anti-Virus (4.0 or 5.0) when installing Version 5.5. Likewise, administrators can now create backup directories to store suspicious and infected objects until they decide whether to disinfect or delete them.

“As the user population of Linux grows, so too grows the risks of a large-scale successful Linux attack similar to Santy or Lion,” said Shane Coursen, Senior Technology Consultant, Kaspersky Lab, Inc. “Kaspersky is moving to protect U.S. customers before they suffer a Code Red-like epidemic that wreaked havoc with the unprepared Windows user base.”

Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Linux, FreeBSD and OpenBSD Mail Server are closely integrated with the Workstation and File Server solutions, and contain the same new functionalities. However, specific components for the Mail Server solution have been upgraded in Version 5.5. The Mail Server solution scans all incoming and outgoing SMTP traffic, which neutralizes malware in infected messages. New configuration options allow administrators to filter mail according to predefined rules. Additionally, the licensing module for Mail Server now updates the list of licensed users automatically.

Administrators can also now maintain statistics on malware penetration via the built-in Webmin interface. Statistics are generated graphically and it is possible to create reports on the types of malware detected during specified intervals.

Additional information about Kaspersky Anti-Virus Version 5.5 for Mail Server, File Server and Workstations for Linux, FreeBSD and OpenBSD can be found on the Kaspersky product page.

Media Contacts