The Anti-Virus Information & Early Warning System

Objectives

The goals of the Anti-Virus Information & Early Warning System (AVI-EWS) are to facilitate the rapid alerting of subscribers (by fellow subscribers) of the following threats:

• Viruses and other malware with potential major implications
• Software bugs with similar potential for disaster

and to promote the free exchange of information between anti-virus professionals from all areas in a high signal to noise ratio environment. The AVI-EWS comprises not only a fast alerting service, but also constant conversations on topics related to handling malware. As each new critter emerges, the folks who subscribe to the AVI-EWS (including corporate security folks and AV vendor support/research staff) discuss the bets ways to stop them, to detect them, and to clean up any mess they leave.

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Subscribing to the AVI-EWS

Anyone, even folks from Anti-Virus vendor companies, can subscribe to the AVI-EWS system. In fact, we have a number of Anti-Virus specialists from vendors already as subscribers and always welcome more.

To subscribe to the AVI-EWS, please fill out and FAX in the PDF order form. (Nothing you enter in this PDF form is stored on this site - you must print it out once you've filled it in and fax it to Segura, the hosting company.) This PDF form has fields that you can fill in - just click on them to activate. During 2002, the annual fee is US$125 per two contacts per organization for payments by check and credit card (billed in Canadian Dollars). Please note that an extra charge is payable for payments made by bank transfer due to the handling charges exacted by the banks. The amount charged to your credit card may be slightly different from the $125 value due to bank service charges included in the exchange rate they charge you - Segura has no control over this.

If you wish to use Paypal, click on the Paypal button below to send in your payment, then please fill out the PDF form and fax it in, including your PayPal order number.

Term	Outside Canada	Inside Canada (includes GST)
1 year	$125.00	$133.75
24 months	$225.00	$240.75
36 months	$325.00	$347.75
48 months	$410.00	$438.70
60 months	$500.00	$535.00

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Why Join?

• Global Coverage - Current subscribers include major organizations representing more than 5 million PCs around the world.
  From the start in November 2000, they consistently have known about and defended against new malware (viruses, worms, bandwidth-hogging holiday-ware) in many cases faster than the alerts sent out by traditional alerting mechanisms. Why? Because the people affected are talking to each other, when an hour can make a big difference.
  
• Alerts and Advisories - Not only do we send out alerts, but we also inform each other about suspicious incidents before they explode into real alert-type situations. For example, the Homepage.vbs malware was being discussed by AVI-EWS subscribers the day before it made its mark on the world. And, this has been the pattern for all major outbreaks.
  
• The AVI-EWS is entirely subscriber-driven and not designed to replace existing alert services from commercial security organizations. It acts as a supplementary source of information on fast-breaking threats. Alerts are generated by subscribers; detailed analysis is normally provided by their security software vendors or other alerting services with analysis capabilities. Many of these alerting services are subscribers to AVI-EWS - they too want to be in on the fast-breaking action

• Peer Discussions - Once you subscribe to the AVI-EWS, you get access to the virus-discussion mailing list, where you can discuss viruses with top Anti-Virus specialists. You also get access to a discussion list on all malware topics. An important factor to remember is that discussions are always at a professional level - no flames are allowed. See the rules for more information.
  
• If you meet the membership criteria, you also will get invited to join the Anti-Virus Information Exchange Network (AVIEN) participate in their discussion groups on managing enterprise-level malware defenses. AVIEN is a dynamic grassroots group with real discussions on the important issues of malware.  Unlike most newsgroups and public mailing lists, the information exchanged amongst members is of consistently high value (except for the donut conversations...).
  
• Savings - Estimates of current subscribers are that the first time they received a heads-up on a new virus that was spreading, it saved them hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in avoided downtime.

• AVI-EWS Subscribers receive five mailing lists:

  - AVI-EWS Alert: provides alert notifications (very low traffic)

  - AVI-EWS Advisory: provides updates on potential threats (low traffic)

  - AVI-EWS Virus Discuss: a forum to discuss viruses and other malware (high traffic)

  - AVI-EWS AVTalk - talk about Anti-Virus topics in general (medium traffic)

  - Product certification - discussions on how to test and evaluate anti-malware products

  In addition, they can sign up for special topic lists. Currently, there is the following special interest list:

  - Sybari talk - discussion of how to best use Sybari products.

Practical details - How the AVI-EWS works

The AVI-EWS is set up to be used via e-mail (which can trigger a page at your end if you have your pager set up for this.) If you are hooked up on a system which forwards e-mail to your pager, we can use that e-mail address. Otherwise, your normal email address will be used. Or, for more comprehensive coverage, we can send alerts and advisories to both your regular email and your email pager addresses.

We don't send alerts to a pager phone number at present.

It is suggested that you use a separate e-mail address to receive alerts so that you know that anything you receive on that address is important and for immediate attention.

Once you are signed up, you'll get instructions on how to access the AVI-EWS, both for receiving and sending alerts.

Remember, it is the subscribers like yourself who generate the alerts.

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Rules of Order

All AVI-EWS Participants will have read and agreed to the General AVIEN Terms and Conditions. Specific EWS Terms and Conditions also apply and subscribers will understand that all violations will be dealt with by an elected Disciplinary Committee.

General points of note are :

• E-mail addresses and other personal information about group subscribers/organizations must stay within the group, and are not to be used for private commercial gain.
• Group participants agree to a very high level of professional behavior. No flaming, put downs, foul language, or name calling. It is okay to disagree, but, we do it in a respectful manner.
  One flame = bye-bye.
• It is not appropriate to use AVI-EWS to transfer virus samples or source code.
• Copyright material from other alert sources is not to be distributed on the EWS.
• Any and all information exchanged amongst subscribers of the EWS network will not be disseminated outside the group, nor published for general release to the public.

To subscribe to the AVI-EWS, please fill out, print and FAX in the PDF order form (nothing you enter in this form is stored on this site - you must print it out and fax it to Segura, the hosting company.) if you are paying via Paypal, we still require the information on this form. It has been designed so you can fill all details in directly on your screen and then print it out.

2002 Subscription Rates:

Until December 31st, 2002, the rates for credit card and check payments for new subscriptions per two contacts and for current subscriber renewals or subscription extensions are as follows:

Payments by bank transfer - add an extra 15% to cover bank service charges.

5% late fee if payment is past 30 days... access suspended if past 60 days

This page last updated on July 22, 2002

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