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Tuesday: March 8, 2005 |
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Websense Inc. Websense Launches New Database Category to Combat Spyware; Product Prevents Posting of Company Data Back to Marketer Servers Spyware Found to Create Security Holes and Severely Drain Corporate Bandwidth SAN DIEGO, Nov. 21, 2002 - Businesses battling the proliferation of spyware on employee desktops now have a new weapon at their disposal. Websense Inc. (NASDAQ: WBSN) today announced the launch of a new database category that blocks spyware programs from sending potentially sensitive data back to marketer servers. The category, which is included in the Websense Premium Group III (PG III) database, helps IT managers prevent spyware from compromising corporate data security and draining valuable corporate bandwidth. Spyware - such as Gator, BonziBUDDY and others - works by collecting Web surfing patterns, keystrokes and other information from employee computers, usually for advertising purposes. This information, once gathered, is sent via back-channel Internet connections to Web servers, where it can be used for market research or worse. In some cases, spyware secretly installs itself onto desktops without permission and performs other activities hidden to the user. "The dirty little secret is that spyware can disclose any data entering or exiting the computers on which it is installed," said Lewis Maltby, privacy expert and president of the National Workrights Institute. "This information can then be used for any purpose, such as research for advertisers, industrial espionage and more. It can even be sold to the highest bidder." Spyware applications are often bundled as hidden components in freeware and shareware downloaded from the Internet. In addition, popular peer-to-peer programs, such as KaZaa, BearShare, AudioGalaxy and others are frequent carriers of spyware. Unfortunately, many employees are unaware spyware is included in these programs, often automatically downloading it onto their computers or agreeing to install it without reading lengthy legal agreements. Once installed on corporate desktops, spyware applications not only compromise security by sending potentially confidential or damaging data back to unknown sources, but they also create serious bandwidth drains that can cripple overall network speeds. In fact, in one test lab, only 12 computers infected with spyware sent more than 340 MB of information to spyware servers during one month alone. In severe cases, spyware has been known to cause system slowdowns, illegal operation errors, browser crashes and even system failures. Websense Premium Group III stops spyware in its tracks by preventing back-channel information from being sent to marketers. Through proprietary processes and the company's WebCatcher™ feature - by which uncategorized Web sites accessed by customers are sent back to Websense for review - Websense is able to identify spyware servers and block employees from unknowingly sending data to them via back-channel port 80 connections. Most companies leave port 80 open to handle normal HTTP traffic, allowing spyware to use the same port. "These servers can't be found through search engines, run-time filters or traditional methods. Websense is uniquely able to solve this problem because, using WebCatcher, we can gather IP addresses of spyware servers directly from customer data," said Harold Kester, chief technology officer for Websense. "Once we verify the addresses are spyware, we add them to the PG III database so customers can eliminate back-channel spyware traffic on their networks." Websense customers also benefit from utilizing the PG III database by being able to isolate where spyware is appearing within their organizations. IT managers can quickly and easily identify report on and identify desktops that are infected, and inoculate them before damage can be caused. The PG III database can be purchased at http://www.websense.com/downloads for Websense Enterprise v4.2, v4.3 and v4.4 users for an additional cost of $5 per user per year. In addition to spyware, PG III includes a category related to Web sites infected with malicious mobile code (MMC), allowing IT managers to proactively block employee access to sites infected with MMC. The database is automatically delivered to customers each day. For more information on spyware, visit http://www.spychecker.com, http://grc.com or http://www.websense.com/products/about/datasheets/pdfs/PremiumGroupIII.pdf. About Websense Inc. Websense Inc. (NASDAQ: WBSN) is the worldwide leader of employee Internet management (EIM) solutions. Websense Enterprise software enables businesses to manage how their employees use the Internet, improving productivity, conserving network bandwidth and storage costs, and mitigating legal liability. Ranked the highest quality database in a recent test of EIM products, Websense delivers the most effective and comprehensive solution in the industry. Founded in 1994, Websense serves more than 17,800 worldwide customers, ranging in size from 100-person firms to global corporations. These include more than half of the Fortune 500, approximately one-third of Japan's Nikkei 225 and half of the UK's FTSE 100, encompassing more than 13 million customer seats, pre-paid on a subscription basis. Websense has strategic technology relationships with Blue Coat Systems, Check Point, Cisco, Macrovision, Microsoft, NetScreen, Network Appliance, SonicWALL, Tumbleweed and others. For more information, visit www.websense.com. Media Contact: Ted Ladd Websense Inc. 858.320.9270 [email protected] |