Zone Labs on Monday rolled out an update to its Integrity Clientless Security solution that blocks non-IT controlled PCs -- such as those owned by partners and used by mobile workers -- from accessing an enterprise's network without having proper security provisions in place.
Clientless Security 2.0 now includes checks for spyware, worms, Trojan horses, key loggers, and other malicious code lurking on guest systems, then automatically disables the processes such malware runs before allowing a user to log on to a Web-based application such as Outlook Web Access or an SSL-secured virtual private network (VPN) connection, said Frederick Felman, the vice president of marketing for the San Francisco, Calif.-based security firm.
"Clientless Security disables the malicious code, but it doesn't delete it," explained Felman. "Some of the users on those PCs may not have administrative rights, so they aren't able to remove, say, spyware. Instead, we disable those forms of malware without requiring any user interaction."
An end-point product, Clientless Security differs from other security policy enforcement products in that it's aimed at PC assets not owned and managed by the enterprise. "Partners' PCs, which are often used to access corporate CRM (customer relationship management) or ERP (enterprise resource planning) software, are checked to make sure a firewall is present and anti-virus [protection] is there before access is granted," said Felman.
The product is able to handle all the major anti-virus solutions, including those from Symantec, Trend Micro, and Computer Associates, and will not only verify the presence of such defenses, but also check that the anti-virus definitions are up to date.