IT managers are being hamstrung by their own organisations in the fight against viruses and without a change in the corporate mindset, no amount of software will protect them. That was the warning issued today by Advascan founder and CEO, Roy Walker, on the opening day of the Infosecurity Europe show at London Olympia.

At the end of 2002, CERT vulnerability announcements were up 169 per cent to 4,129. This is a major battle engaging IT managers in the war against viruses and hackers.

Walker said: 'IT managers know the pain viruses are causing their organisations, but in many cases feel powerless to stop them. Many are resigned to accepting attacks as part of daily life, because resources are spread too thinly to effectively deal with the problem of AV and OS updates.'

CERT released 37 security advisories for 2002, the same as 2001, with the pace showing no signs of slowing in 2003. IT managers are struggling to balance shrinking resources across the enterprise, while the threats firmly stand their ground, with the potential to grow. Even old threats, such as Code Red, are re-emerging as new variants and continue to wreak havoc.

Walker continued: 'So where do virus updates fall on the task list, important or urgent? For many managers it is combination of both, but those projects or tasks with a more visible threat inside the business invalidate this reasoning. It is only when a security advisory hits the media, or the network, that the business supports the IT department in becoming an active defender.

'IT managers are learning from these mistakes, but are struggling to do anything because of the shackles applied by other areas of the business. Security spending might be on the increase, but corporations are buying boxes rather than expertise. A piece of software is only as good as the team that manages it.

Walker concluded: 'There is no room for complacency. Virus and worm writers are always one step ahead of traditional anti-virus techniques in their development of new forms of attack. SQL Slammer spread around the world in ten minutes, and is a perfect example. During that attack I think it is fair to say that the media deserved a bigger pat on the back for protecting organisations than many vendors.'

About Advascan

Advascan is an Internet technology and software development company, specialising in the areas of network security, intrusion detection and prevention, antivirus, antispam, and email policy management. Its service, Advascan is an online managed service providing a complete solution for email security - antivirus and antispam - protecting data and enhancing the efficiency of email as a business medium. Advascan is part of Adva Technologies Ltd.

To contact Advascan call 08450 539331 or visit the website www.Advascan.com.