The Declude Security Suite is implemented on the mail server, and provides E-mail message decoding, anti-spam scanning, and anti-bulk mail distribution features. The security suite is not a mail server in and of itself; it is designed to be integrated directly with Ipswitch's IMail server or SmarterTools' SmarterMail server, both of which are sold separately (Declude resell's SmarterMail directly). However, the product integrates directly with the server such that end users needn't change any client settings to benefit from the services provided by the suite--they do not need to redirect their mail server requests to a "fronting" server, for example (assuming, of course, that they are--or will be--using the IMail or SmarterMail servers to handle their E-mail messages).

The three key components provided by Declude are the Email Vulnerability Analyzer (EVA), which provides E-mail message decoding for anti-virus scanning; Declude JunkMail, which provides anti-spam scanning; and Declude Hijack, which prevents E-mail server hijacking by implementing forced bulk-mail distribution controls.

EVA includes a single "industry recognized Virus signature scanner" and the vendor notes they have plans to include a second scanner; with maximum support for up to 5 scanners (remaining scanners would be provided by the customer). The vendor notes that most scanners that include command line scanning capabilities are supported; Norton AntiVirus is specifically mentioned as an exception. EVA decodes the messages sent, routes them and their attachments to the scanner(s) for analysis, and acts (delivers, deletes, or quarantines) on the result of that analysis. According to the vendor, a key benefit of the dedicated decode mechanism is that the Declude component is capable of detecting problems with E-mails that are targeted directly at an E-mail server vulnerability; vulnerabilities that may allow a specially crafted message to bypass a standard server anti-virus scan. In addition to the decoding process (which is applied to both incoming and outgoing messages), the EVA component provides the ability to customize notification messages, and the ability to decide when and to whom such messages should be sent (including an option to notify the recipient of virus-laden messages only on incoming messages, so that outgoing messages that are blocked do not trigger virus warnings to their recipients).

The Declude JunkMail component provides anti-spam scanning capabilities, and supports multiple types of spam tests including Base64 encoded messages, HTML comment spam, testing the from address in the SMTP envelope to ensure a valid MX or A record, known spam IP address checking using various databases, ensuring the presence of reverse DNS entries, and more. The vendor notes that most tests are free; however, some may require subscription pricing from external list providers. A weighting system allows the administrators to assign a relative weight to each of the individual tests, with messages failing only if they achieve a certain total weight as a result of all of the tests applied. Automated actions that can be applied to identified spam messages are numerous, and include sending a copy to another address, add warning headers, add subject line or body text (head or foot), move, route, bounce, hold, or delete messages, and send alert messages back to the sender.

Finally, the Declude Hijack component of the suite provides anti-bulk mail distribution features; it allows for the setting of outbound message quotas over a period of time. Two quotas can be set: one that flags the server to temporarily hold outgoing mail from this user (such as 20 E-mails in 5 minutes); and the second which would block E-mails from this user entirely (say 100 E-mails in 10 minutes). When the first quota is hit, E-mail is held; and if the second quota is then not hit, the held mail is released.

New to the Declude Security Suite is a Web-based management component add-on, which allows for the Web-based creation of Declude configuration files and also includes features such as the displaying of live Declude messages, and real-time reporting on the number of E-mails scanned and number of viruses found. Pre-set templates are provided supporting the parameters of "...all leading industry scanners," and the vendor notes that future versions of the interface will include import tools for existing configurations, advanced reporting capabilities, and a customizable front end.

The Declude Security Suite is available now; the new Web-based Management Interface is expected to be available for download in early April. Pricing ranges from $199 to $1,450, depending on the number of users or domains required.

Visit the Declude Web site for further information.