Secure Computing Unveils Zero-hour Attack Protection (ZAP) Technology for Automatically Stopping Latest Attacks
Bracknell, UK, February 15, 2006 – Secure Computing Corporation (NASDAQ: SCUR), the experts in securing connections between people, applications, and networks, today unveiled its Zero-hour Attack Protections (ZAP(tm)) security technology for the Sidewinder G2(r) Security Appliance. The latest release of the Sidewinder G2 Security Appliance is scheduled to ship in the first quarter of 2006, and differentiates Secure Computing from traditional firewall/UTM products by stopping zero-hour attacks automatically without waiting for anti-virus or IPS signature updates.
ZAP technology is based upon the positive security model, which allows only legitimate network traffic and denies everything else. “Negative model” security technologies like IPS gateways are extremely useful, but they allow everything through the gateway unless they recognize known viruses and attacks. The positive security model is therefore superior at preventing unknown attacks because it automatically eliminates exposure to many types of attacks-unknown as well as known. ZAP technology combines over 200,000 attack signatures with a positive security model for maximum protection.
“Even with recent technological advancements, negative-model countermeasures have significant limitations when it comes to preventing unknown attacks,” said Mark Bouchard of Missing Link Security Services. “The approach of enumerating all legitimate traffic and then denying everything else dramatically reduces an organization’s attack surface area by inherently eliminating exposure to all sorts of attacks- unknown as well as known.” A thought leadership white paper by Bouchard entitled, “Unknown attacks: a clear and growing danger,” can be found on the Secure Computing website.
Secure Computing’s ZAP technology also includes other key defense-in-depth security techniques working simultaneously in the Sidewinder G2, including:
* SecureOS(r) self-defending platforms with patented Type Enforcement(r) technology – a preeminent example of the positive security model
* Event monitoring, analysis, and notification using the Sidewinder G2(r) dashboard and Security Reporter(tm)
* Traditional signature-based attack protections, including over 200,000 threat signatures
“The greatest challenge facing the security industry today is defending against new zero-hour attacks and rapidly emerging attack variants that are continually released before patches or attack signatures are available,” said T. Paul Thomas, senior vice president of marketing and corporate strategy at Secure Computing. “The only way to defend against this accelerating threat is to deploy products based on the positive model of threat mitigation.”
About Secure Computing
Secure Computing (NASDAQ:SCUR) has been securing the connections between people and information for over 20 years. Specializing in delivering the world’s strongest security appliances/firewalls, strong authentication, and content management and filtering solutions, Secure Computing is uniquely qualified to be the global security solutions provider to organizations of all sizes. Our more than 17,000 global customers in over 100 countries, supported by a worldwide network of partners, include the majority of the Dow Jones Global 50 Titans and the most prominent organizations in banking, financial services, healthcare, telecommunications, manufacturing, public utilities, education, and national and local governments. The company is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., and has offices worldwide. For more information, see http://www.securecomputing.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements relating to Secure Computing’s ability to deliver security solutions to enterprise customers, and the expected benefits of such, and such statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are delays in product development, undetected software errors or bugs, competitive pressures, technical difficulties, changes in customer requirements, general economic conditions and the risk factors detailed from time to time in Secure Computing’s periodic reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.