ISP forced to take action on viruses
Published: 18 Mar 2004 14:55 GMT
Since then, however, changes in the nature of virus attacks have made that model increasingly untenable for broadband ISPs, and some are beginning to rethink their historically hands-off policies, antispam experts said.
"Their attitude was: 'We can't possibly be monitoring everything going on in customers' computers,'" Ray Everett-Church, chief privacy officer at anti-spam software company TurnTide, said about broadband ISPs. "But they found they had to participate when those activities had negative consequences for their entire network."
Finding the right balance
Viruses such as Sobig and Bagle disguise themselves as cleverly worded emails that can install exploits on a PC, once their attachments have been downloaded. Once these "Trojan horse" programs are installed, the viruses create a hole that lets spammers relay bulk emails, using the victim's address -- adding another layer of anonymity for the spammer.
The spread of these Trojan horse viruses has caused considerable damage and annoyance. ISP networks and user inboxes have become clogged with higher levels of spam, and more work is needed to fix exploits in networks and in PCs. One study found that this year, North American ISPs will spend up to $245m (£133.9m) in dealing with these viruses.
Broadband ISPs are taking different approaches to the problem. Many have implemented policies that identify, quarantine and sometimes suspend or shut down accounts that have been infected. Others leave it up to their customers to keep their antivirus software up-to-date.
These policies are by no means foolproof. Virus writers are usually one step ahead of software fixes and can still find a way to get viruses to high-speed Net users. Broadband ISPs are caught in an endless cat-and-mouse game that often translates into greater costs, as they increase efforts to educate users and disinfect PCs.
Comcast, the nation's largest cable operator and broadband ISP, is considered by some email watchers to be one of the biggest virus targets. The cable giant said it has implemented anti-spam software on its network and that it continually monitors activity to find potential victims, or purveyors, of spam viruses.
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