SanDisk puts anti-virus on flash drive

SanDisk has stepped up its efforts to convince corporates that USB sticks are a secure medium, adding built-in anti-virus capability to its latest Cruzer drive.

Any files copied or saved to the latest Cruzer Enterprise will automatically be scanned by a McAfee heuristics and anti-virus engine that loads every time the drive is used. If it detects infected files being copied from a PC, all further transfers will be disallowed form that machine, stopping their spread.

At the time of going to press, SanDisk had yet to confirm the nature of the signature updating process, but it would presumably be similar to that used by McAfee's existing USB-based scanning product, VirusScan USB, which works using the U3 software environment. Updates to this are made each time the device is plugged in on the U3 is up and running, and don't interfere with any security programs already running on the host PC.

McAfee's success with this product is unknown though the U3 environment has struggled since its inception in 2005 to achieve popularity. It is possible that the advent of anti-virus security on mainstream USB drives could give it a new lease of life if it catches on more widely.

Prices for the anti-malware SanDisk Cruzer should be announced in the coming days. McAfee USB sells for £12.99 (approx $20) per user, per year.

Read more here  (TechWorld)