Magix Integration has added another weapon to its arsenal of security tools to protect enterprises from Web-based malware attacks. Offering Web application security tools from Applicure, Magix is closing the fastest growing vulnerability exploit on the Internet today.
“With the proliferation of anti-virus and malware detection products on the market, it is more difficult for cyber-criminals to get their malicious software onto unsuspecting victims' computers,” says Amir Lubashevsky, executive director of Magix Integration, a company specialising in integrated risk management. “This has led to criminals targeting corporate Web sites where they plant malware that surreptitiously installs itself on surfers' computers.”
Surfers are already aware that surfing on pornographic or gambling sites may result in malware being transferred to their computers and generally take care not to download executable files. They are not nearly as careful on business sites, as these are believed to be safe.
Hackers now employ all manner of means to hack into legitimate Web sites and surreptitiously plant their malware on the site in a manner that is easily downloadable. Surfers do not recognise they are infected as the malware does not harm the computer. The idea is to be able to control the infected computer at will and use it to send out spam, launch denial of service attacks or capture names and passwords to financial institutions.
Traditional anti-virus products are unable to stop these applications as are traditional firewalls, which function by looking for known malware signatures. Since these applications are unknown and easily changed, most sail through traditional security measures without a problem.
“Application firewalls are a new breed of security software designed to examine the behaviour of traffic flowing to a Web site,” explains Lubashevsky. “It detects actions that are not normal and raises the alarm before a site can be infected.”
Software-based application firewalls plug into a Web server such as Internet Information Services and Apache, allowing the server do its job while the Applicure systems transparently inspect the content.
Application firewalls are not only suited to large corporations, but can also be deployed at ISPs to manage traffic targeted at small companies' Web sites. In this way, even smaller companies that are often poorly protected due to the cost of security software can protect themselves and their customers at a lower price.
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