Ryan,
This should be looked as one of those security or convenience issues.
While it is a little inconvenient and sometimes quite costly to have AV
software installed and configured for automatic updates across an entire
network. It is one of the safest and most secure things you can do.
I am not discounting having AV software installed on your server, as
that is something that should also be done, as that will definitely
increase the security and integrity of your network.
With some of the current self-installing spyware software that takes
advantage of flaws(features) in Microsoft Internet Explorer and the
Microsoft OS platform having AV on local workstations is incredibly
important. With the supporting evidence that such spyware software can be
installed with little to no user interaction, the leap is very easy to
make that malicious code writers could include a payload to infect
web-sites along with their next slammer/NIMDA-type virus.
With that in mind, these users could unwittingly infect the internal
network one computer at a time, through E-mail and any direct shares that
might be created out of convenience.
This could inevitably lead to an insecure network with the tendrils of
some malicious cracker now reading all company data.
Personally, I find AV an extremely useful and very important tool that
must be installed upon any Microsoft based platform. If there is no
reason to utilize a MS based platform on a computer system within your
network, then don't use one.
As an example, I will provide some base info about what we do. We are a
small stamping plant. There are a few systems, CAD/CAM and CMM and
Accounting systems that require Windows in order to function, as there is
no other OS supported by the makers of the software we use.
However, virtually all of our other PC's just use MS Office to work
within our VERY manual job management system. So, I have been given the
green light to implement all new workstations on Red Hat Linux using one
of the free office packages that will easily allow the user to complete
the basic tasks he/she will be required to do.
In the immediate future, I am having a consulting firm build a
web-based groupware system that will fit in nicely with our QS9000
program giving us the ability to perform virtually all of our
administrative tasks from any and all OS platforms that supports web
browsing. One that is in place, I will have the go ahead to start
eliminating the purchase of any new MS Windows based computer systems,
thus mitigating our risks from the platform that has the most virii
written for it.
Regards,
Robert Adkins II
IT Manager/Buyer
Impel Industries, Inc.
Ph. 586-254-5800
Fx. 586-254-5804
-----Original Message-----
From: Ryan Beisner [mailto:ryan@prattusa.com]
Sent: Sunday, February 02, 2003 10:29 AM
To: samba@lists.samba.org; Robert Adkins
Subject: [Samba] RAV for Samba (Linux i386)
Just wondering if anyone has thoughts (good or bad) about this product
(RAV AntiVirus for Samba (Linux i386))...or any other?
I have a client that wants to have A/V *on* their samba server, rather
than just scanning the shares from a WS.
Any comments regarding ANTIVIRUS PROTECTION and SAMBA are gratefully
welcome!
TIA
-Ryan Beisner
--
To unsubscribe from this list go to the following URL and read the
instructions: http://lists.samba.org/mailman/listinfo/samba