Leipzig regional – Wirtschaftsjournal, June 2000, p. 30 (translated from German)
Giving unwanted love letters the brush-off
without virus scanner
Nutzwerk GmbH from Halle has shooted to the Top 100 of German software developers
Halle (RDS) The worldwide panic caused by the computer virus Loveletter a few days ago has shown again the susceptibility and the weak points of the eMail system. The extent of the damage can not yet be estimated. However, it showed that existing anti-virus software is not enough to protect oneself from unwanted eMail visitors.
Nutzwerk GmbH with its headquarters in Halle (Germany) was founded in September 1997. Independent internet technologies based on standards – that was the original business idea which has produced numerous further developments.
One of them is a technology for an eMail firewall, a kind of protective wall against people who are trying to break into the system per eMail. This is realized by content-related filtering, leaving viruses like Loveletter simply outside.
The eMail firewall developed by the Halle company is a server which monitors the entire eMail traffic. It can be installed at the provider or within the company. By combining several methods it prevents viruses like Loveletter from reaching the user.
At the click of a button the system administrator can determine centrally that certain file types are not passed on.
The message itself reaches the recipient, while the attached file that represents a potential danger is put in quarantine.
With such a filter system the avalanche-like spreading of the virus would have been stopped without the user having to give up their eMail traffic.
In addition the eMail firewall works with so-called black and white lists. This makes it possible to tell apart trustworthy from not trustworthy senders. The third big obstacle for a virus like Loveletter would have been the content-related filtering. This distinctive feature identifies harmful files even if they are hidden or disguised or if they have been renamed.
Nutzwerk CEO René Holzer: "With our approach of the eMail firewall we mainly count on the filter tool. Anti-virus software is being used but we don't put all our eggs in one basket."
The development of the eMail firewall by Nutzwerk GmbH was triggered by the sudden appearance of computer virus Melissa the year before.
After that the developers began to look for possibilities to stop viruses without a virus scanner.
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