NEWSROOM

SC Magazine Policy Management Security Appliance Test: CounterACT

Worm Attacks to Increase in 2004

ForeScout Warns that Recent Announcements and Attacks Show Signs of Imminent Threat

SAN MATEO, Calif. — March 1, 2004—ForeScout Technologies, Inc. today warned organizations worldwide to prepare for impending attacks from self-propagating worms, which experts agree will present continued challenges after last year's record outbreaks. Among the first worms of the year, 'Doomjuice' and 'Deadhat' were part of a series of attacks that began with variations of the MyDoom email viruses. Microsoft's announcement this month of the critical ASN.1 flaw also raises red flags as what experts are calling one of the worst vulnerabilities ever found. Worms attacking this widespread flaw are widely considered inevitable, with exploit code seen circulating less than a week after the patch was released.

"We anticipate attacks to be more frequent and carry more destructive payloads this year based on what we've seen so far," said Oded Comay, CTO and co-founder of ForeScout Technologies. "Organizations are struggling to keep up with patches with little or no warning time before attacks are released, and blended threats like we saw with MyDoom increase the likelihood that something will get through."

Worm attacks repeatedly disrupted worldwide business continuity over the last year, with reports estimating that Blaster alone infected over 500,000 machines and cost business millions of dollars in productivity. Damage estimates from the past Code Red worm and its variants reach billions of dollars globally. Analyst firms including Gartner, Meta Group, and Yankee Group recognize the seriousness of these types of attack and stress the importance of implementing mechanisms to block them.

Self-propagating worms spread without requiring users to open attachments, and are capable of exploiting backdoors opened by previous attacks, known or unknown vulnerabilities in common software, or unprotected mobile computers that can carry infections back into the internal network. Most organizations don't have a way to pinpoint these infections or contain them from spreading rampantly through the internal network, causing loss of production, loss of services, and potential damage to systems and information.

ForeScout's WormScout software is designed specifically to maintain network productivity by mitigating the spread of worms. WormScout's patented technology automatically recognizes infections and immediately suppresses any attempts to reproduce, allowing business to continue normally on the rest of the network while the threat is removed.

"It is virtually impossible to eliminate every vulnerability and every potential path an attack of this nature might take," Comay continued. "We offer a way to minimize infections and their business impact, so companies can survive the next time a worm like Blaster or Code Red strikes."

About ForeScout Technologies, Inc.
ForeScout's clientless network access control (NAC) solutions enable customers to implement and enforce network access policies of both managed and unmanaged devices in both a pre and post connect mode to gain complete control over network security without disrupting end-user productivity. ForeScout's flagship product, CounterACT, combines network access control and signature-less intrusion prevention in a single network appliance that interrogates and enforces controlled access of every device while seamlessly integrating with any existing IT infrastructure. ForeScout's NAC is completely transparent and enables enterprises to tailor enforcement to match the exact level of each policy violation, eliminating disruptions during device interrogation. Today, Fortune 500 corporations and government agencies have deployed ForeScout appliances globally controlling access to their networks and resources, defending against hackers and self-propagating malware, and ensuring business continuity. ForeScout's headquarters are located in Cupertino, California.

###

top

Print Page PRESS CONTACTS:

Corporate Contact
Nancy Renzullo
ForeScout Technologies
408.213.3194
pr@forescout.com

Media Contact
Samantha Leggat
Lux Communications
925.447.5300
samantha.leggat@earthlink
.net

Acclaim

"Adding CounterACT to our network security infrastructure was a 'no-brainer'. ForeScout's appliances accurately detect unknown threats, automatically stop attacking sources in real-time, and do not rely on signatures or manual updates."

Jose Nunez, IT Director, Pulte Homes Mexico

NEWSROOM

Worm Attacks to Increase in 2004

Free White Papers

View Webinars

Product Datasheets

Acclaim