Why are there server-based antivirus scans?

Forgive me if the topic title is misleading. I have some trouble figuring out how to word things at times, and this is one of them.

I was thinking recently about how many email providers have added virus scanning to their defense arsenal. I rarely, if ever, find a virus in an email anymore because my ISP or mail provider have taken care of the dirty work for me. My question is this: If it's done for mail, why can't it be done for general traffic?

I was thinking that it would be possible to put some kind of system in between DNS backbone and ISPs that would analyze packets for virus signatures and delete virus payloads. I realize that this might take an inordinate amount of pocessing power, but would the payoff not be worth it?

 

In the future it will be called skynet and eventually it will determine us humans are viruses, at least in the terminator movie that's how it went. sorry, couldn't resist.

 

rofl

 

Think about how many gigabytes and terabytes ISP's need to process. Combine this with the increased thirst for bandwith, which ISP's are having trouble keeping up with. Antivirus scanning would definetly slow down the network, take up thousands of pcs, etc.

It is pretty unpractical and unecessary.

Also, there hasn't been any customer demand for it. A company does what is needed to keep customers, not make an ideal world. Thus, no gateway antivirus scanning.

Then, some people may not want the scanning (I wouldn't). How would the ISP keep track of that then?

It is way too complex and would cost too much, and my dsl bill is too high anyways for the little bandwith I get.

Cheers,

Alphalutra1

 

Secure connections like ssl (https://) can't be monitored anyway. So network monitoring would not guarantee full coverage.