september 06, 2005
New level of protection designed to respond to new, higher levels of IM-specific threats and malware
By John Dickinson, Courtesy of Messaging Pipeline
IMlogic today announced the availability of the IMlogic Real-Time Threat Protection System (RTTPS), which the company claims to be the industry’s first preemptive security solution to predict and combat “zero-day” attacks that target instant messaging networks. The product has been developed in response to the exponential increase in the number of real-time threats that specifically target instant messaging networks.
Integrated with IMlogic IM Manager and the IMlogic Threat Center, RTTPS establishes a global networked community to exchange threat detection and blocking information to block IM security attacks, hours in advance of when conventional anti-virus signature file updates are made available. RTTPS automatically detects and quarantines suspicious or dangerous enterprise IM traffic before IM worms and viruses can propagate and infect vulnerable users and cause significant damage to corporate networks.
"IM worms and viruses pose a technical challenge to corporate IT environments because they utilize real-time communications channels and very effective social engineering techniques to spread malware orders of magnitude faster than e-mail," said IMLogic CTO Jon Sakoda. "Given the speed and complexity of IM attacks, isolated incidents can escalate quickly into network-wide outbreaks, spreading to a substantial percentage of corporate desktops in only a few hours once initial infection occurs."
Sakoda added that the meteoric rise in the quantity and sophistication of IM threats makes “preemption” a critical capability to detect and block IM attacks. Organizations that rely solely on reactive security solutions and desktop protection face the risk of virulent and costly zero-day IM attacks that mutate and evolve more quickly than conventional secure protections.
The company is emphasizing these features of RTTPS:
- Predictive Threat Filter: The system assesses potential risk by applying heuristic filters to identify and block a potential IM attack before it propagates
- Real-Time Reputation Scoring of Malicious Content: As potentially malicious content is identified, the content is scanned in real-time and assigned a reputation score based on the potential level of associated risk
- Proactive End User Education: Embedded hyperlinks and URLs can be intercepted and redirected to educate end users on the level of risk associated with suspicious IM content and links
- Integration With IMlogic Threat Center: Suspicious traffic and threat signatures are automatically processed, authenticated and evaluated by the IMlogic Threat Center, to obtain the most recent information on any new potential outbreaks or threat signatures. The Threat Center is IMlogic’s global clearinghouse for IM threats and viruses
Source: http://www.smallbizpipeline.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=170700738
