PC just for antivirus

[handscombmp]

i know you can get a pc dedicated for firewalls but can you get one to use as an anti virus for your network.
So...
Internet----Modem----AV PC----Network

Can you even get these as if you could it would be brillant as from my understanding you then wouldn't need anti virus software for pc inside the network

[shaithis]

I think the closest your likely to get is a virus checker on a caching proxy server.

[pipTheGeek]

You could run a proxy server for all your web browsing. This could virus scan all web pages being viewed, and could also scan downloads that were being run through http. What it can't do is virus scan a cd that you put in your pc, or files that you recieve through instant messenger.
Also full on proxy software costs. Maybe someone else can suggest a free one if you really want to try this out.

[Splash]

You're describing an AV proxy, which is possible but you're missing a major attack vector - do you seriously not allow anything on your PCs from USB/CD etc?

[handscombmp]

You're describing an AV proxy, which is possible but you're missing a major attack vector - do you seriously not allow anything on your PCs from USB/CD etc?

Ahhh.
Forgot about that.
Right thanks for the help guys.
At least i now know it's not worth it due to USB etc.

[Sputnik]

There is a device that has a firewall and antivirus software on it called a Yoggie gatekeeper. They do a USB version for people using wifi or an RJ45 connected one(which I guess would perform better).

[Splash]

It's not worthless, just of limited use in your situation. An AV proxy can be very handy in a number of situations as an extra layer of security

[peterb]

You can use an AV proxy and also run a mailserver that downloads from your ISP, scans the mail and stores it for users inside the network to collect. You could also disable all USB ports on computer inside the network, and remove all CD/DVD readers, and just have one or two installed on the AV machine which would scan on demand. Your proxy server may also be subscibed to download the URLs of dodgy sites (some services free, some paid) to block access to dodgy sites.

However there would invariably be a high admin burden, checking logs and monitoring what is happening - it wouldn't be a fit and forget solution.

However in general the best AV protection is the user, and having that sort of protection may lead users into false sense of security. While having AV as a last resort is a good idea, training users inside the network to treat unsolicited e mails with suspicion and being careful about the sites you visit, and hiding your system being a NAT type device with no open inbound ports should be all the protection you need.

Unless you are running a large network, the sort of protective measures described here are probably a bit OTT, and as I said, the admin burden of running that server would outweigh the advantages.

[Spleen]

whatever you do with regards to proxy server etc you're still going to need a AV client on every pc because not every virus comes form the internet, some get transferred via portable media.

[mycarsavw]

You'll need to build/buy a PC and add two NICs. Use Smoothwall as your OS and add the DGAV Homebrew application.

[peterb]

whatever you do with regards to proxy server etc you're still going to need a AV client on every pc because not every virus comes form the internet, some get transferred via portable media.

Not if you remove all optical drives and disable USB ports on the networked machine. You then import from portable media on the scanning machine and scan it on access that way.

[Splash]

Not if you remove all optical drives and disable USB ports on the networked machine. You then import from portable media on the scanning machine and scan it on access that way.

...and can be 100% certain that all machines on the network are free from infection, and similar attack vectors. Essentially you're making a rod for your own back if you're going to rely on something like this *unless* you have a fully planned and documented infrastructure. You'll end up putting in shortcuts for convenience that will nullify your efforts.

[handscombmp]

To be honest ti not worth it in my case. I just thought if it meant i didn't need an av on a couple of pc's it could speed them up but when you mention usb and optical it's suddenly not worth it.