AirDefense, the innovator that launched the wireless LAN security market, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) awarded the 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.
AirDefense offers the first and only wireless intrusion protection system (WIPS) that is fully compliant with the new US Department of Defence (DoD) policy on the use of commercial wireless LAN devices, systems and technologies in the DoD Global Information Grid.
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," said 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.
AirDefense partners with Blue Turtle Technologies in southern Africa.
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AirDefense, the market leader in anywhere, anytime wireless security and monitoring, is trusted by more Fortune 500 companies, healthcare organisations and high-security government agencies for enterprise wireless protection than any other wireless security provider. AirDefense 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.
Blue Turtle Technologies
Blue Turtle Technologies provides solutions for optimising, enhancing and leveraging existing IT investment, and supporting the cost-effective delivery of new technology initiatives. With experience from mainframe to desktop, Blue Turtle delivers solutions for the effective management of IT infrastructures employing innovative software products, backed by `best-practice` implementation services. Blue Turtle`s strategy leverages `best-in-class` software products brought together from leading international and South African software providers to deliver compelling and cost-effective technology management solutions to customers. www.blueturtle.co.za.
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