FEATURE/Email Infection; New Survey Reveals That More Viruses are Spread by Email Than Any Other Method.

--(BUSINESS WIRE FEATURES)--Aug. 2, 1999--

According to the results taken from a survey sponsored by International Computer Security Associates, (a computer security consulting firm), email is the preferred carrier of choice for more than half of the computer viruses contracted this year.

In fact, this same survey conducted annually, indicated that the highest outbreak of viruses reached a staggering total of 88 incidences per month for every 1000 computers in February 1999. This figure was up from 21 per month for the same period in 1997 and 32 per month in 1998.

As email is fast becoming Corporate America's communications tool of choice, the potential for more problems increases with every message sent and received in our email boxes each day. However, Lansoft Corporation, an email outsourcing provider, has recently developed a service, MailWatch(TM), that is the "cure" for these" Viral Email Infections."

The Survey

The results of the study (Computer Virus Prevalence Survey) were compiled from replies received from some 300 corporate and government agencies. This ongoing survey has tracked the spread of computer viruses since the beginning of 1997 and ended at the beginning of April 1999. Almost half of the 300 companies polled had suffered a virus disaster, with 25 or more computers infected by a single virus. Fortunately a majority (91 percent) of these incidences resulted in only less than an hour of down time for their servers, said respondents. Cleaning up damage caused by viruses took less than 50 hours. However, this survey ended with the outbreak of the Melissa Virus and did not take into effect the other major outbreaks that were reported this year. Those included the "CIH Virus" which deleted information on hard drives in the US and overseas and the Explore Zip Virus which was a combination of Melissa's email attack with CIH's "horrific hard-drive deletions." This virus was commonly referred to as "The Worm Virus."

The results of this survey yielded one sobering fact. Email was the major source of virus infections. This year email has replaced the floppy disk as the method of transmission for computer viruses. Floppy discs accounted for only 39% of these "viral occurrences. Downloads accounted for infecting only 16% of the participants surveyed.

More than half of all viruses infecting computers in 1999 came through email. Alan Abdullahi, President of Lansoft Corporation commented on these results by saying, "Over 70% of business today rely on email as a primary communications tool, yet less than 30% have any existing measures to monitor and control its flow."

Lansoft's MailWatch(TM) is the Cure for Email Infections

It is because of the problems associated with email communications in Corporate America today that Lansoft has the prescription for email maladies ... it's called MailWatch.

Mail Watch is a service not a software package so it is instantly configurable to any email system. The MailWatch system receives both a company's incoming and outgoing communications and filters them for content. After, each message is filtered for content it is then redistributed to their intended recipients. Remarkably, Lansoft's services require no additional hardware or software and do not need any expensive site licensing ... plus they are completely configurable to any customer's specifications. These differences separate a service like MailWatch from standard software programs that can only screen and filter based on pre-set parameters and can not be as instantly configurable to handle the problem. It was this same system that kept the "Melissa Virus," "The Worm Virus" and others away from their customers while standard software packages let them in.

The MailWatch system also helps to eliminate SPAM mail and large AVI files, all of which can bedevil and can cause more than their share of problems in any company's network system. Additionally, it can also provide an invaluable service in helping a company monitor its email content to eliminate offensive remarks or sensitive information from a company's email communications. On the value of the MailWatch system Alan commented "MailWatch is an incredible tool to provide network administrators with email security, safety and control ... that standard software packages can not give them as effectively or affordably"

Lansoft is ...

Lansoft Corporation is a suite of services to provide a cost-effective way for companies with Local Area Networks (LAN) to collectively send and receive email through a single dial-up modem or Internet connection. Lansoft `s most recent developments include Remote Access Communication capabilities, Private Email networks and on-line account administration; plus a host of multi-user email outsourcing services, advanced web hosting and a sophisticated E-commerce solution integrated with inventory management control. Companies interested in MailWatch(TM) to cure their "Email Infections" may call Lansoft at 1-800-LANSOFT or check out their web site at www.lansoft.com.