Early warning service now covers spyware

System provides firms with more details on emerging threats

Security firm Symantec last week updated its early warning system, adding spyware and adware to the list of threats it monitors.

The DeepSight Threat Management System provides firms with details of new threats and vulnerabilities, and alerts them if any exploits appear for these flaws.

As well as monitoring for problems such as malicious code and phishing attacks, customers can now also receive alerts about spyware and adware. Symantec said it also offers risk rating levels and remediation advice to stop threats.

The firm has also added a set-up wizard to make it easier for customers to configure the system, said Allan Wall, pre-sales manager at Symantec. “It is simpler to establish which vendors, software or applications you want to be alerted on, and whether you want alerts via SMS, email or XML reports,” Wall added. “So if you are an Oracle user, your database administrator can be set up to just get all those alerts.”

Customers can also make use of a targeted notification service, which alerts them if any specific threat attacks their domain, Wall said. Meanwhile, Symantec’s antivirus statistics page has been enhanced to let firms view the number of attacks targeting just corporates or only home users.

The updated system will be available later this month. Pricing is based on the number of users and the type of notification method, said Wall.