Network Associates joins standards group

Software maker Network Associates on Tuesday said it has joined the Trusted Computing Group, an industry body formed to develop and promote open standards for security technologies.

Network Associates, which will change its name soon to McAfee, said it will help develop the Trusted Network Connect specification, which is intended to help network administrators put security policies in place on systems before they connect to multivendor networks. The new specification is likely to be made available by TCG later this year.

Technology giants like Microsoft and Intel are among the members of TCG, which is also working to develop a single hardware design that will be supported by a number of software programs.

Network Associates said its decision to work with TCG is an extension of an initiative of its own, called the McAfee Trusted Connection Strategy. The plan is designed to rid networks of "rogue systems" and protect networks from malicious code, like the Sasser worm.