updating virus information for webmasters

by Jim Tom Polk <jtpolk(at)texas.net>

 Date:  13 Dec 2001 14:35:13 -0600
 To:  hwg-basics(at)mail.hwg.org
  todo: View Thread, Original
The problem: Getting timely information, in this case virus information,
to customers of a web service (like an ISP) or a customers web site,
that is accurate and up to day is royal pain. It normally involves a
pretty active involvement in almost day to day editing of a web page
dedicated to that purpose.

For those who want to post it on a clients web site or even one's 
personal home page, there is a nifty service from Trend Micro.

http://www.antivirus.com/syndication/vinfo/

This allows a webmaster to install a bit of JavaScript into a page, and
when the page loads, it queries a server and up to date information is
delivered to a web page.

I work for an ISP, and this thing is a gift from heaven. Before we were
constantly updating our virus page (http://camalott.com/virus.html) and
the information had to be obtain from other sites, then incorporated
into a web page, then saved to the server, etc, etc, and most time by
the time we did the posting, the information was past it's prime, the
links were bad, or they pointed to the wrong information.

I'm no big fan of a JavaScript only solution, but this is the exception.
I don't know of any other service like this.


Commentary:

I think about the only virus stuff that should be posted about really
things like worms that can infect Microsoft Web Servers and then do
nasty stuff to people that might visit your site, if you have the
misfortune to have an infected IIS server or might wipe out your html
files on the web server. 


-- 


Jim Tom Polk -:- jtpolk(at)texas.net -:- http://camalott.com/~jtpolk/	
	''You might as well fall flat on your face as 
	  lean over too far backwards.''      --James Thurber--
   "The Universe is run by the complex interweaving of three 
          elements: energy, matter and enlightened self-interest." 
 		- G'Kar  "Survivors"                                  

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