A Different Approach To PC Virus Protection
by
Randy Mears
While most of the PC world is fighting the virus threat with popular anti-virus programs, a Texas bank opts for a different approach. As virus creators adapt their methods to exploit the weaknesses in both PC operating systems and anti-virus programs, in a war characterized by bi-lateral escalation, some businesses are opting for a completely different approach. This article from BBC News describes a more “holistic” approach to virus protection, one that seems to be working.
This method uses a multi-pronged approach. First of all, something called a “program whitelist system” blocks all but a few selected programs from running on all of the PCs in an organization. Secondly, procedures are put in place to limit exposure, particularly from non-work related Web sites (that’s limit, not exclude). It works by keeping instant messaging programs (as an example), and other programs that expose potential vulnerabilities, off of the whitelist; thus keeping viruses and other malware (like spyware) at bay.
As alternative approaches go, this seems interesting to me, but I have seen solutions that rely on similar measures fail because they lacked a fall-back mechanism. I could be wrong but I think that there needs to be something in place to deal with malware that somehow gets through, and in today's landscape, the obvious answer turns out to be an anti-virus program. Didn't we just come full circle?
