Sophos Anti-virus protection for Windows

Overview:

Sophos Endpoint Security and Control for Windows delivers award-winning protection Key benefits across thousands of Windows desktops, laptops and servers. A single endpoint client detects viruses, spyware and adware, suspicious files, suspicious behavior and potentially unwanted applications (PUAs); monitors the transfer of sensitive and confidential data; and controls the use of removable storage devices and unauthorized VoIP, IM, P2P and gaming software—eliminating the need for separate standalone products.

Key Benefits

• Removes the need for point products with a single endpoint client
• Automatically stops unknown malware, with Behavioral Genotype® Protection uniquely analyzing suspicious behavior before code executes
• Prevents the accidental loss of confidential data through integrated content scanning
• Identifies unknown malware, suspicious files; and behavior through built-in pre-execution and runtime intrusion prevention technologies supported by live in-the-cloud lookups
• Checks URLs and suspicious files with the SophosLabs reputation database to protect against threats
• Controls the use of legitimate software applications like VoIP and IM
• Manages the use of removable storage, optical media drives and wireless networking protocols
• Configurable role-based administration provides granular control of administrator privileges
• Enables anti-virus and HIPS policy to be quickly created and applied across multiple groups
• Allows fully centralized system cleanup of files, registry entries, and running processes
• Includes an integrated quarantine manager for deleting, disinfecting or authorizing files
• Updates automatically with the latest protection from SophosLabs™ — a global network of threat analysis centers
• Scans on access, on demand and on schedule with Decision Caching™ technology, ensuring that only changed files are rescanned
• Includes 24x7x365 support during the license and one-on-one assistance

What's New:

 

Endpoint Security and Control 9.5

This upcoming release focuses on delivering even more features to protect you against threats

Key new features

Live Anti-Virus

• Improves proactive detection, reducing reliance on updating by stopping previously unseen threats faster
• Instantly checks the reputation of suspicious files against an extensive in-the-cloud database of known good and bad reputation data
• Shares threat reputation data between SophosLabs, products and customers, meaning you benefit from even greater threat protection

Live URL Filtering

• Protects endpoints that are accessing the internet via home or public Wi-Fi networks and not going through a gateway web appliance
• Blocks mobile/remote endpoints from accessing URLs classified by SophosLabs as hosting malicious software or malicious code
• Live lookups to the SophosLabs malicious URL database protects against millions of compromised sites

Tamper protection

• Prevents users from uninstalling key Sophos protection components on an endpoint, such as anti-virus, client firewall or updating
• Policies can be applied to different groups of computers allowing you to set different passwords by group as required

Platform enhancements

• Server support for both Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2
• Sophos Client Firewall support for 64-bit Windows computers
• Full 32- and 64-bit server and agent support for Sophos NAC
• Support for Microsoft Hyper-V 2008 and vSphere 4

Features & Benefits:

 

Award-winning multi-threat protection in one product

• The Sophos virus detection engine protects Windows servers, desktops, laptops and mobile devices against viruses, spyware and adware, suspicious files, suspicious behavior, potentially unwanted applications, removable storage devices and unauthorized VoIP, IM, P2P and gaming software.
• The single client uses a combination of technologies to stop new and unseen threats. Built-in host intrusion prevention system (HIPS) analyzes code before and during execution; Live Anti-Virus protection checks suspicious files against the extensive SophosLabs reputation database.
• Legitimate software applications like VoIP, P2P, IM, media players and games can be blocked or authorized for different groups of computers. This can be centrally controlled using ActivePolicies™ in Sophos Enterprise Console™.
• Users are protected from infection from websites hosting malware when they are out of the office with Live URL Filtering integrated into the agent. An automatic live check against the SophosLabs database of millions of compromised websites and will prevent access to any malicious sites.
• Flexible control of removable storage devices enables the authorization of specific devices, enforcement of encrypted devices or even just read-only access. It also controls the use of wireless connections such as modems, including 3G versions.
• The fully integrated content monitoring feature for storage devices and applications—supported by a wide range of data definitions supplied and updated by SophosLabs™—monitors the transfer of sensitive data and minimizes the risk of accidental data loss.

Automated, simplified, central management from a single console

• The Security Dashboard shows real-time security status and critical events, and automatic email alerts are sent if chosen security thresholds are threatened.
• Synchronization with Microsoft Active Directory ensures deployment is fast and new computers are automatically protected as they join your network.
• Integrated data, application and device control means there is no additional deployment or management overhead. Policies can be configured for groups of computers to reflect the security requirements for specific locations or departments.
• Configurable role-based administration enables specific management tasks to be delegated to trusted users without handing over full administration capabilities.
• A single ActivePolicy incorporating both anti-virus and HIPS allows the rapid creation and application of security settings across multiple computers and groups simultaneously.
• Small, frequent protection updates are automatically downloaded and distributed across the network.
• Endpoint computers can be completely disinfected in a single operation. Registry entries, running processes and files on disk are removed if needed.
• Security and management information is delivered through customizable, integrated graphical reports that can be scheduled to run at specific times and emailed directly to selected recipients.

Faster, better, proactive protection using innovative technologies

• Genotype® virus detection technology proactively blocks families of viruses even before specific virus signatures are available.
• Sophos’s HIPS technology uses the anti-virus engine to identify programs that will behave suspiciously before they execute.
• Behavioral Genotype® Protection scans for multiple specific behaviors and characteristics to proactively protect against zero-day malware. It detects new threats before code even begins to execute.
• Built-in pre-execution suspicious file detection combines with runtime behavior analysis and buffer overflow protection to detect malware, suspicious files and behavior.
• Sophos’s behavioral rulesets are constantly validated against an extensive library of legitimate applications, to ensure accurate detection.
• Decision Caching technology improves on-access scanning performance by intercepting and scanning only files that have changed since the system was last accessed.
• Rapid threat analysis from SophosLabs and the fastest updates in the industry are downloaded as frequently as every 10 minutes.

Industry-leading expertise 24x7

• Our 24x7 customer support operation and SophosLabs our global network of threat analysis centers, provide a rapid response to emerging and evolving threats.

Languages available

• English, French, German, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese.

System requirements:

Platforms supported

• Windows 7 including XP mode
• Windows Vista*
• Windows Server 2008/R2 including Core*
• Windows XP Home/Pro SP1a*
• Windows Server 2003/R2**
• Windows 2000 Server/R2
• Windows 2000/Pro SP3
• Windows Netbooks
• Windows XPe SP1a
• Windows Embedded Standard
• WePOS SP2
• vSphere 4.0
• VMware ESX 3.0/3.5
• VMware Workstation 6.5
• VMware Server 1.0/2.0
• Hyper-V 2008

Disk space

• Windows XP/2003/Vista/7: 120 MB
• Windows 2000: 120 MB
• Windows 95/98: 90 MB
• Windows NT4: 90 MB

Recommended memory

• Windows XP/2003/Vista/7: 256 MB
• Windows 2000: 256 MB
• Windows 95/98: 128 MB
• Windows NT4: 256 MB

* Including AMD64
** Including Itanium
*** Adware and PUA detection, application control and HIPS are not available on these platforms.

Documentation:

Sophos Endpoint Security and Control for Windows Data Sheet (.PDF)

Sophos ESDP 9.5 - What's New (.PDF)