CriticalPath, Sophos Partner To Help Carriers Fight Spam

The software, dubbed Critical Path Anti-Spam Powered by Sophos, combines Critical Path's scalable messaging software with Sophos' PureMessage antispam technology. It was released Monday and will be available immediately to carrier customers through the sales channels of both companies.

"Protecting subscribers against the onslaught of spam has become a crucial part of any messaging service," said Richard Jacobs, CTO at Lynnfield, Mass.-based Sophos. "[This solution] provides a tightly integrated solution that allows carriers to protect wireless, Web and desktop subscribers from a single platform."

Critical Path Anti-Spam Powered by Sophos will enable telecommunications operators to offer advanced protection of subscriber e-mail, mobile e-mail and MMS messages, Jacobs said. The antispam software runs in the carrier's network without requiring software to be installed on any subscriber's computer. In addition, the software automatically detects, tags, quarantines and blocks spam to prevent unwanted messages from reaching subscriber mailboxes.

The technology is based on heuristics, a two-phased message deconstruction and analysis process. As messages are scanned, each is decomposed into multiple forms to expose filter-evading tactics, and to identify the source and destination data. The message information is then analyzed to assign a spam probability, which is determined by evaluating the message structure, characteristics and content with current spam categories.

Michael Serbinis, CTO at San Francisco-based CriticalPath, said the antispam engine is updated automatically on carrier servers without interruption in service to subscribers. Critical Path is offering the Sophis PureMessage technology on Linux, Solaris and HP-UX server platforms, he added.