Panda Security today announced the launch of Panda Antivirus for Mac Corporate Edition, targeted to companies operating with hybrid computing environments. The new solution provides protection against all types of malware that affect Macintosh computers, regardless if they’re running on Mac OS, Mac OS X, Windows or Linux. Additionally, the product prevents Mac desktops, laptops and servers, as well as iPhones, iPads and iPods from spreading malware to other operating systems.
Historically, the Mac OS platform has remained relatively unscathed by malicious attackers, but McAfee in its list of Top Emerging Threats for 2011, warns that Mac-targeted malware will continue to increase in sophistication in 2011. The popularity of iPads and iPhones in business environments, combined with the lack of user understanding of proper security for these devices, will increase the risk for data and identity exposure, and will make Apple botnets and Trojans a common occurrence.
Panda Antivirus for Mac Corporate Edition includes a centralized administration console enabling IT Security managers to deploy the solution across networks, and facilitate the implementation of security policies and real-time monitoring of security. This is a major benefit for organizations with limited in-house security expertise and funding but still need a reliable and robust security solution for their Mac-based infrastructure.
“Many companies, universities, and other organizations now operate with a diverse network topology including Mac servers and workstations that work alongside Windows and other systems,” said Bruno Rodriguez, Corporate Product Director at Panda Security. “In these mixed environments, it is crucial to protect against specific threats that target Apple platforms, as well as ensure Mac devices cannot be used as carriers for threats to other platforms.”
In 2009, just 34 vulnerabilities were discovered in the Mac OS. According to vulnerability experts Secunia, this figure rose to 308 in 2010, and 67 percent of these were classified as highly critical, indicating that an attacker could take control of unpatched systems and repurpose or exploit those systems at will.
“2010 was an intense year for threats. We have collected more than 20 million new examples of malware, and the figure continues to rise. Each day, our laboratory receives approximately 63,000 new threats,” said Luis Corrons, Technical Director of PandaLabs. “We’ve seen an increase in the number of threats designed specifically for Macs, although there are many more that can affect corporate Mac users, including all Office macro viruses. Other types of threats that Mac users are increasingly exposed to include phishing, and vulnerabilities in popular browsers and PDF readers.”
Panda Antivirus for Mac Corporate Edition includes two scan engines: one to deliver on-access or resident protection, and the other to perform on-demand scans on folders, files and email, detecting and eliminating or blocking many types of threats. In addition to protecting against Mac-specific malware, the software also addresses the full range of threats – Trojans, viruses, exploits, spyware, keyloggers, adware, hacking tools, botnets, dialers, scareware, and others – designed for Windows, but which can also affect the Mac platform, particularly web-based threats. The additional protection provided by scanning support for Apple’s iPhone, iPad, and iPod ensures that if any of these devices is carrying malware, it can’t infect other connected devices or Macintosh computers. Operating in the background and taking advantage of available resources and kicking in when resource loads are low, Panda Security claims the solution has little to no impact on system performance and speed.
Panda Security for Mac Corporate Edition is priced at $20.95 per license for workstations, servers and the administration console (including 12 months updates and full technical support). It’s available in Spanish, English and French, and workstation-only versions in Italian, German and Japanese.
The company launched a standalone version of PandaAntivirus (which does not provide the additional benefits for corporate environments) for Mac back in October 2010.