Microsoft Partners with Network Associates and Trend Micro to Offer Integrated Anti-Virus Solutions for Office 2000

Microsoft Corporation has announced a collaboration with leading anti-virus software vendors Network Associates Inc. and Trend Micro Inc. to provide integrated virus-scanning solutions for Office 2000-based documents. This move comes in response to the growing threat of viruses and malicious code in the software industry, as demonstrated by recent incidents such as the "Melissa" virus. Microsoft's new anti-virus capabilities in Office 2000 enable users to protect themselves from viruses by integrating virus-scanning solutions into Office documents.

Key Takeaways:

• Microsoft has partnered with Network Associates and Trend Micro to offer integrated anti-virus solutions for Office 2000, providing users with enhanced protection against viruses.
• The "Melissa" virus incident highlights the growing threat of viruses and malicious code in the software industry, necessitating customer education on safe computing practices and the need for effective security protection.
• Microsoft's new anti-virus capabilities in Office 2000 include digitally signed macros, which allow users to certify the source of macro code and ensure that only trusted macros are executed.
• The default security setting in Word 2000 has been changed to "High" to automatically disable macros unless they are digitally signed by a trusted source.
• Network Associates and Trend Micro have developed integrated virus-scanning solutions for Office 2000, which can be used in conjunction with Office's anti-virus capabilities to provide comprehensive protection.

Statistics:

• Over 2.3 million professional solutions have been developed using Office.
• 2.3 million - the number of professional solutions developed using Office.
• The CERT Coordination Center and ICSA have partnered with Microsoft to support industry security education efforts and respond to new virus incidents.
• 10 years - the duration for which ICSA has collected data on security tools, best practices, and the industry at-large, becoming the central authority on information security.

Sources:

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Microsoft Corp. (April 2, 1999). "Network Associates and Trend Micro to Offer Integrated Anti-Virus Solutions for Office 2000". PR Newswire.

• Microsoft Office 2000 Release Notes.
• Microsoft Office Online.
• Network Associates Inc. (1999). "McAfee Total Virus Defense".
• Trend Micro Inc. (1999). "Trend Micro Anti-Virus Software Solutions".
• ICSA Inc. (1999). "ICSA Virus Prevalence Survey".
• CERT Coordination Center (1999). "Certification Authority".
• Software Engineering Institute (1999). "Survivable Systems Initiative".