RENO, Nevada—Bytware, Inc. and IBM signed an agreement this week allowing Bytware’s StandGuard Anti-Virus for iSeries to be shipped with all distributions of IBM’s eServer iSeries new operating system, i5/OS V5R3 (OS/400 Version 5 Release 3). This agreement is the result of IBM and Bytware’s combined efforts to fill the growing demand for virus protection of PC files stored on iSeries servers and strengthens the iSeries servers’ legacy of being one of the safest platforms available today.

Beginning with V5R3, IBM has enabled the operating system to support virus scanning, including On-Access scanning. The enablement itself does not scan, detect or clean viruses, but instead provides the necessary enhancements to allow StandGuard Anti-Virus to scan files upon open and close (On-Access).

To help ensure iSeries customers realize the maximum security potential in a networked environment, Bytware redesigned StandGuard Anti-Virus to exploit the new V5R3 enablement. The result is a seamless integration of StandGuard Anti-Virus with i5/OS V5R3. By shipping StandGuard Anti-Virus with all V5R3 systems and upgrades, customers will have the ability to immediately test the new function on their new operating system.

StandGuard Anti-Virus for iSeries V5R3 will begin shipping with all iSeries V5R3 servers, and upgrades to V5R3, and will be available as a try-and-buy offering. Customers can request full-featured trial activation by contacting Bytware directly at http://www.bytware.com/enableav.html or calling 775.851.2900. Bytware will work directly with customers, and, to ensure timely support, Bytware has expanded its US-based operations to include 18 new Partners in 10 time zones worldwide.

Bytware, Inc., an industry innovator and leader since 1986, offers award winning security, user and system monitoring, and notification solutions for the IBM iSeries server. For more information on the StandGuard Security Suite, including StandGuard Anti-Virus for V5R3, please visit the main security page or call 775.851.2900.

RENO, Nevada—Bytware, Inc., is excited to announce that, to fill the growing demand for virus protection on the iSeries, On-Access scanning for viruses is now an enabled feature within OS/400 and fully supported by Bytware’s StandGuard Anti-Virus security solution. Beginning with V5R3, IBM has enabled the operating system to support virus scanning, including On-Access scanning. The On-Access scanning enablement will allow third-party native anti-virus solutions to scan files dynamically, as they are accessed and changed. The enablement itself does not scan, detect or clean viruses, but instead provides the necessary enhancements to allow a third-party native anti-virus solution to scan files upon open and close (On-Access). The enablement feature, which is shipped with a default of ON, is designed to tie into a native anti-virus solution to scan for, detect, and clean viruses. The addition of a native anti-virus solution is required in order to use this new functionality of V5R3.

To ensure iSeries customers are realizing the maximum security potential, Bytware has worked very closely with IBM’s Security and Integrated File System team to re-engineer StandGuard Anti-Virus to take advantage of the new V5R3 enablement. The result is a seamless integration of StandGuard Anti-Virus with OS/400 V5R3, and the closure of the virus threat to iSeries servers.

StandGuard Anti-Virus is an award-winning, native anti-virus solution for the iSeries. Developed with the unique features of the iSeries in mind, StandGuard Anti-Virus offers all of the power and protection of the industry-leading McAfee scanning engine found on other platforms while meeting the specific needs of OS/400. You’ll find StandGuard Anti-Virus easy to use in either graphical or green screen modes, and a breeze to keep current with the latest .DATs directly from McAfee and software updates from Bytware. With StandGuard Anti-Virus you have the essential tools to ensure that your iSeries is protected from the threats of viruses, worms, and malware.

StandGuard Anti-Virus for V5R3 will be available for OS/400 V5R3 upon IBM’s announcement of general availability. Bytware, Inc., an industry innovator and leader since 1986, offers security, user and system monitoring, and notification solutions for the IBM iSeries server. Customers with V5R3 systems can request full-featured trials of StandGuard Anti-Virus v5r3, and Bytware’s other security solutions, by contacting Bytware directly at http://www.bytware.com or call 775.851.2900.

A new variant of the Mydoom worm began making its way around the Internet last Friday, and this particularly nasty worm has already caused a great deal of damage to users—including iSeries shops—thanks to its ability to delete files. W32/Mydoom.f@MM, or simply Mydoom.F, is a mass-mailing and share-hopping worm based upon the original Mydoom code. The second variation, Mydoom.B, dropped the worm’s code making it readily available to virus writers. Experts believe that Mydoom.F originates from a different author than the original.

Like earlier variants of Mydoom, this new worm launches distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, this time against Microsoft and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In addition, Mydoom.F searches for and deletes files on local and mapped drives. Primarily the worm targets images files and Microsoft Word and Excel documents and searches for extensions .bmp, .avi, .jpg, .sav, .xls, .doc, and .mdb. The worm runs in a loop and deletes additional files on each pass.

Mapped drives need not be physically located on the infected system in order to be affected by Mydoom.F. Drives located on other platforms that can house Windows files can be equally affected.

Bytware, Inc., the Reno, Nevada-based developer of StandGuard Anti-Virus for the IBM eServer iSeries, has been contacted by several iSeries shops that have suffered data loss caused by Mydoom.F infection of networked PCs. The iSeries is generally viewed as invulnerable to viruses. A common practice of scanning the iSeries with a Windows PC through a mapped drive can open a door for worms and viruses to the iSeries.

In addition to file deletion and DDoS attacks, the Mydoom.F worm opens TCP port 1080, and additional ports in the range of 3000 to 5000, in an attempt to allow the author access to infected machines.

Mydoom.F arrives as an e-mail attachment of a variety of files types, including .zip. Upon identifying shared or mapped drives, the worm makes copies of itself as .zip archives or .exe files in different directories using random file names. It also propagates by harvesting e-mail addresses from infected systems and mass mailing itself using its own SMTP engine.

Most AV vendors have added definitions for Mydoom.F and experts urge users to update their anti-virus software and to protect all systems, including non-Windows platforms that may act as file servers and are attached to Windows PCs via mapped drives.

For more information about Mydoom.F, visit the Network Associates Virus Information Library at http://vil.nai.com/vil/content/v_101038.htm

For more information about iSeries anti-virus protection, visit the main StandGuard Anti-Virus page.