HP to release Virus Throttler for Windows in 2005

IDG News Service - Hewlett-Packard Co. is planning to build virus-throttling technology into ProLiant servers and ProCurve switches starting in early 2005, an HP executive said today.

The Virus Throttler technology is designed to slow the propagation of a virus or worm within an infected server so that administrators have time to identify the infected system and take appropriate action, said Tony Redmond, vice president and chief technology officer of HP Services.

HP first discussed the technology at the RSA Security conference in February, but in August Redmond acknowledged that HP was having difficulty making the technology work with Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Server software.

Those problems have been solved by making Virus Throttler available through a network driver, Redmond said today. Starting in early 2005, ProLiant servers with Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2000 will be able to download the driver and update their Insight Manager software to take advantage of the Virus Throttler product, he said.

Any administrator who has had to disinfect a bank of afflicted PCs or servers knows how quickly viruses can spread, Redmond said. During the Slammer worm outbreak in January 2003, almost 75,000 systems were infected around the world within the first 30 minutes of the attack, he said.

HP's virus-throttling technology will help contain the spread of those viruses or worms by slowing the rate at which they multiply within a network, Redmond explained. This throttling does not have any effect on the performance of the server or switch, he added.

"We will be building intelligence like this into as many areas of the network that we can reach," Redmond said.

Older ProLiant customers running Windows Server 2000 or Windows Server 2003 should also be able to download the technology. HP is working on a version of the technology for Linux servers, but that effort is complicated by the number of Linux distributions that are available, Redmond said.


Eventually, HP hopes to build this technology into PCs, but the company hasn't fully tested the virus-throttling technology on PCs and isn't ready to announce a timetable for its release, Redmond said.

The virus-throttling technology was discussed during an HP event to address growing security problems plaguing Internet users, such as viruses, spyware and phishing. Major enterprises have the resources for dedicated security management, but small businesses and consumers need help in protecting their data against attacks or exploits, Redmond said.

During the event, HP unveiled a number of new initiatives for both consumers and small businesses that want to protect themselves against the myriad security threats on