Reliable Software Technologies releases new e-mail virus protection software

[tim () RSTCORP COM (Tim Hollebeek)]

Reliable Software Technologies has just released a new program
(JustBeFriends) designed to prevent e-mail macro viruses from spreading.  It
can be used along with or instead of the Microsoft supplied e-mail
protection patch.  JustBeFriends works will all versions of Outlook and
Outlook Express, and is substantially simpler than the Microsoft patch.  For
full details, see http://www.rstcorp.com/news/jbf.html.

E-mail viruses spread by exploiting existing mail programs to send
themselves to a large number of new recipients. In addition, many viruses
may also modify or damage the computer on which they are run. While most
home and office computers are not sufficiently secure to make preventing
damage to files on the computer possible, it is possible to make sending
e-mail from scripts much harder. This move limits a particularly nasty way
that viruses propagate. Both Microsoft's security update and JustBeFriends
succeed in disabling script-based e-mail.

Microsoft's approach works by internally controlling access to a large
number of subsections of Outlook that can be used to gather e-mail addresses
or send e-mails. Unfortunately, in order to prevent future e-mail viruses,
this list of protected objects needs to be exhaustive. E-mail addresses may
still be exposed if they appear in signatures, message bodies, or other
documents. Future methods for exploiting flaws in Outlook to send e-mails
are likely to be found.

JustBeFriends works by controlling the ability of other applications to
access Outlook or Outlook Express. In the event that the access comes from a
script being run from the desktop or from an attachment, the access is
denied. Otherwise, the user is asked to confirm that the application should
be allowed access to Outlook.

JustBeFriends was developed primarily by Tim Hollebeek, Research Associate
at RST Labs. It makes use of advanced technology developed in part under a
DARPA grant titled "Sandboxing Mobile Code Execution Environments".
Extensive testing of JustBeFriends was performed by members of the RST
Software Risk Managementsm division. Install and uninstall scripting was
completed by Core Technologies.