The strictest definition of a "network virus" describes a relatively new type of malware that spreads from computer to computer without having to drop a file-based copy of itself in any of the affected computers. These viruses exist only as network packets, when they move from one computer to another, and in memory. Network VirusWall Enforcer provides protection against these sophisticated threats by scanning network traffic and then identifying the packets that contain code from known network viruses. It can also detect packets that contain generic exploit code used commonly by network viruses to propagate.
While allowing Network VirusWall Enforcer to detect network viruses at the network layer, the packet-scanning capability called "Network Virus Scan" also allows Network VirusWall Enforcer to block regular file-based malware as they propagate through the network. It supplements file-based scanning technologies and stops virulent threats before they can reach other computers.