Symantec buys MessageLabs the leader in email security. Press release is here.
I was just talking to my old sales rep last week about ML on the market. It seemed to me that MessageLabs sold its ISP Star to make it easier to sell itself.
There is some good things here. Both Symantec and MessageLabs seem to have top notch anti-virus groups. I hope they dont feel they can eliminate redundancy.
I am concerned based on my past experience when Symantec bought IM Logic. Support immediately dropped from the excellent level that IM Logic maintained to the hit or miss quality of Symantec. I also felt that development slowed significantly for a time.
When Microsoft bought Sybari they added their own antivirus engine and eventually dropped some of the available engines in Antigen(I think I’m remembering that right). I’m not actually sure who MessageLabs is using right now, but I’m sure Symantec AV (crappy as it is) will be in the mix shortly. MessageLabs support has told me in the past which antivirus engines they use in email but they don’t advertise it because they want to be able to make changes to have the most effective defenses.
Here is hoping that the changes will be positive. For the past 5 plus years that I’ve used MessageLabs nothing beats them for email security.
Archive for October 2008
SyKnApps update for SEP11
Symantec released a SyKnApps update last week for Symantec Endpoint Protection 11. The update notice I received didn’t say much, just that “The new revision of
SyKnApps improves the performance and overall functionality of TruScan.” The email also said the update was available through liveupdate.
I had been wondering if the update would reach SEP clients who get their updates from a corporate SEPM server. By comparing file versions, I found that it appeared my internal clients did get c:\documents and settings\all users\application data\symantec\syknapps\syknapps.dll updated.
A Symantec KnowledgeBase article confirms this belief. It specifically says running liveupdate on SEPM will update the clients. It also confirms that this update fixes the cosmetic bug where the SEP client GUI displays the Proactive Threat definitions as July 30th.
The CraigsList Bank Robber
Did you hear about the bank robber who used Craig’s list to select his patsys?
At first I thought it was this post
Bank Robbery Scene being filmed on Oct. 5th in Walpole, MA. for an action-comedy independent film. Want to be part of an exciting slam-bang scene? Please email with your headshot. No experience needed. Extras sought for background scenes. No pay, but coffee, donuts, and meals will be served.
But not, this robber arranged for a group of people to wear what he was wearing and gather outside the bank he robbed. Then he made his escape in a innertube via a nearby river. Hilarious.
NRL Employee Pleads Guilty to Computer Theft
Source: Washington Post
A former computer systems administrator for the Naval Research Laboratory pleaded guilty today to a federal charge stemming from the theft of nearly 19,000 pieces of computer and office equipment.
Items were stolen from 1997 until August 2007. 100 personal computers, 167 keyboards, 275 mice, 80 monitors, 187 toner cartridges and nearly 5000 pieces of computer software were stolen. Total cost of the stolen goods is estimated to be $120,000.
Most of the equipment has been recovered by NCIS. The system administrator is likely to get 12-18 months in prison under sentencing guidelines.
How much would it suck to go to jail for a 486 you stole in 1997?
It seems to me that there is a big physical security problem when you can walk with that many computers.
