Brief

McAfee launches new Stinger

Kartik Shahani

McAfee launched a new version of Stinger, which targets viruses, Trojans and malware that may be embedded in MP3 files on various music players and iPods. According to Kartik Shahani, Director, Sales, India and SAARC, McAfee, “MP3 players and such other USB-based devices have become a key issue, as far as viruses are concerned.” Stinger detects and cleans potential threats on such devices.

“These days, USB drives with their higher storage capacity can easily transfer a virus to a computer,” he added.

Stinger works as a standalone utility and is not a complete anti-virus solution. “It is designed only to clean a certain variety of viruses, in this case those affecting MP3 files,” said Shahani. The tool can be downloaded free of cost from the McAfee Web site. It can then be run as an executable file on the user’s computer. When it detects an MP3 player connecting through USB, it scans through the player’s library and gives the user the options to quarantine, clean or delete the file. Further, the tool is also able to scan already existing MP3 files on the system and repair them in case of an infection.

Shahani said that the large enterprises have multiple layers of security and so there is little chance of such malware getting into systems or networks. When it comes to smaller companies, their security is not always up to the mark and this may leave them open to threats.

“Most of these files are downloaded through peer-to-peer networks,” Shahani stated. He added that it was easy to disguise a program as a music file, which will not trouble the user while it is on the player. “But the moment the file enters the system, it may start doing its designated job, which may be to log keystrokes, install adware, or some such annoyance,” Shahani added. Embedded files come as self-installers, which is all the more reason to be worried about them.

The tool has been released as freeware. “It is for technology-savvy users.” According to him, users feel better if they can take care of their problems instead of having to call a help number. “It also cuts down on the number of calls to our support centre,” he added.