FaceTime Faces Down Enterprise Spyware

FaceTime Communications on Monday announced a new anti-spyware defensive system for corporations which don't want to install end-point software on each client PC.

The FaceTime Enterprise Spyware Prevention Suite, which will ship within 30 days at a price of $5,000, consists of an anti-spyware appliance deployed at the gateway and a management console from which administrators control defenses.

The RTGuardian appliance reports all attempts by spyware to communicate with outside sites or servers, blocks such attempts by known spyware, and prevents so-called "drive-by" installation of spyware when users surf to malicious sites. The management console, meanwhile, can block new spyware and "freeze in place" existing spyware without having to deploy any client software, FaceTime said. If end-point software is wanted, the console can push out an optional client that removes spyware and adware, then either remains resident or automatically removes itself.

"This mitigates the need for continuous rescanning of PCs and helps to ensure that mobile users won't get re-infected when outside the LAN," the company said in a statement.

Both the hardware and software parts of the suite automatically receive updated spyware, as well as instant message and peer-to-peer threats from FaceTime's security lab.