SecureData, a member of the JSE-listed ERP.com Group and the southern African distributor for AirDefense, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) awarded the latter company patent number 7 058 796 titled "Method and system for actively defending a wireless LAN against attacks" on 6 June 2006.
Filed on 3 June 2002, this is the earliest and broadest patent awarded in this field. It encompasses fundamental wireless session containment mechanisms that are required and currently used by all wireless intrusion prevention systems.
AirDefense, which has an installed base of more than 500 enterprise customers, is currently shipping its seventh generation system, AirDefense Enterprise 7.0. The system leverages the methods described in the awarded patent to provide the most comprehensive, scalable and accurate wireless LAN monitoring and security solution available on the market today. The specifications of the patent describe the core principles behind AirDefense's solution:
* Multiple detection techniques such as signature, protocol, policy and anomalous behaviour.
* Analysis for minimal false positives and day zero attack detection.
* Intelligent classification of authorised, unauthorised and rogue wireless devices.
* Automatic, regulatory compliant, AirTermination using over the air session containment.
* Mapping the physical and logical location of wireless devices.
* Wireless policy and compliance management.
* Proactive wireless vulnerability assessment.
* Forensic data storage and incident analysis.
* Threat index-based techniques for enhanced manageability.
"Without employing the fundamental techniques described in this patent, there is no real way to prevent a wireless intrusion," commented Dr Amit Sinha, chief technology officer of AirDefense. "The methods outlined in this patent were pioneered by AirDefense and are currently used by all wireless intrusion prevention systems in the market. Without them these systems will be ineffective."
AirDefense was also awarded patent number 7 042 852 titled "System and method for wireless LAN dynamic channel change with honeypot trap" on 9 May 2006. This patent describes advanced techniques to mitigate wireless attacks such as foiling attempts to break encryption in real-time. It also describes a framework where intruders can be trapped without disrupting authorised wireless communications.
"Traditional wired security paradigms do not translate effectively into wireless networks," said Professor Fernando C Colon Osorio, founder and director of the Wireless System Security Research Laboratory, which performs cutting-edge research on distributed network intrusion detection and counter measure systems.
"The allowed patents describe some novel and comprehensive methods that AirDefense has pioneered for wireless security. The architectural scope of the patent claims is broad and will encompass any meaningful wireless intrusion protection solution."
AirDefense currently has one additional patent that has been allowed and 18 more that are pending at the USPTO. AirDefense's comprehensive and growing patent portfolio extends its wireless LAN intrusion prevention intellectual property into broader areas such as security for emerging wireless networks, spectral analysis and interference classification, performance troubleshooting, bandwidth optimisation, forensic analysis and end-point wireless security.
For further information, please contact Bianca Maritz at telephone +27 11 257 8600; fax +27 11 257 8699; e-mail biancam@securedata.co.za.
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AirDefense is the market leader in anywhere, anytime wireless security and monitoring and is trusted by more Fortune 500 companies, healthcare organisations and high-security government agencies for enterprise wireless protection. It is ranked among Red Herring's Top 100 Private Companies in North America and its products provide the most advanced solutions for rogue wireless detection, policy enforcement and intrusion prevention, both inside and outside an organisation's physical locations and wired networks. Common Criteria-certified, AirDefense enterprise-class products scale to support single offices as well as organisations with hundreds of locations around the globe. Founded in 2001, AirDefense is based in Alpharetta, Georgia, USA, and serves hundreds of government agencies and blue chip corporations.
SecureData
SecureData, an ERP.com company, is Africa's premier IT security solution provider. SecureData's solutions incorporate anti-virus and content security, endpoint security, network security, intrusion prevention and authentication & identity management. SecureData's comprehensive "Managed Security Services" include design, audit, implementation, vulnerability assessment, out sourcing and hosting. SecureData distributes, sells and supports category leading IT security products to the public, corporate and SME sectors throughout Africa as well as products and services to the SOHO and consumer markets through partnerships with ISPs. As well as being the sole distributor in Sub-Saharan Africa for Trend Micro, SecureData is the Sub-Saharan African distributor for USA-based TippingPoint Technologies as well as for AirDefense, Application Security, eEye, Network Engines, Precise Biometrics, Rocket Software, RSA Security, St Bernard and Websense. For more information, visit SecureData at www.securedata.co.za.
ERP.com
ERP.com is a JSE-listed company focused on the implementation, integration and management of enterprise applications in an e-business environment. For more information, visit ERP.com at www.erpcom.co.za.
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