SA hacking Web site one of global favourites

A South African Web site is a global favourite for information about hacking - giving SA the dubious honour of being one of the hacking centres of the world.

"Many SA businesses operate with a false sense of security, believing that the world`s hackers and virus-writers operate from other countries, targeting foreign companies," says Gary Middleton, national sales manager of Dimension Data Security.

"Chris Rouland, head of US-based X-Force, the crack IT security division of Internet Security Systems (ISS), however, says a SA Web site devoted to the art of hacking is a leading source of information for hackers around the world."

ISS` X-Force is a team of world-leading security experts dedicated to counter intelligence against hacker threats. ISS, a leading global provider of security management solutions for the Internet, is a key Dimension Data Security partner.

"X-Force experts are focused solely on uncovering, documenting and coding the latest black hat tricks," says Middleton. "They then work with ISS solutions engineers to be the first to bring to market new prevention and detection solutions."

The team is unmatched in the industry, producing and maintaining the most security advisories, the most comprehensive security alert summaries and the most extensive database of vulnerabilities and threats.

With more than 250 years` combined experience, the X-force holds a wide range of expertise in information security defense tactics. On a daily basis, it monitors security-oriented Web sites, mailing lists and chat rooms in search of the latest exploits.

By documenting security risks and developing valuable fix action information, X-Force created the industry`s first and largest on-line information protection center - the ISS X-Force Knowledge Base. Publicly available on the ISS Web site, www.xforce.iss.net, this extensive database accelerates up-to-the-minute communication of critical network security information and global security issues.

"The database is updated as frequently as new security risks are uncovered and researched, and it is valued by customers and security associations world-wide as a critical information resource," says Middleton. The X-Force is also the:

• first security team to produce BackOrifice 2000 protection and checks,

• first to disclose the threat of Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) attacks to customers - months before attacks to major Web sites became public knowledge, and

• the largest commercial security research group spanning the globe with teams at work in the United States, United Kingdom and Far East.

X-Force works with leading vendors like Microsoft, Oracle, Sun Microsystems, Hewlett Packard, Netscape and Cisco to examine technology for vulnerabilities. As an independent third party, the group of researchers tests the latest technology for security issues and works closely with vendors to minimise user risks. The X-Force documents its research and regularly publishes security advisories, notifying customers of the latest security risks and protection information.

Dimension Data, in partnership with ISS, provides global delivery of managed security services and is able to offer the services of the X-force to customers.

"Together, we are the biggest managed security service provider on every continent," says Middleton. "Through our partnership, we offer customers a full array of managed security services including firewall, Viirtual Private Networks (VPN), intrusion detection, and anti-virus."

The service means companies no longer have to hire scarce resources to monitor the security of their networks 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Companies can be assured that their networks are being watched for any unwelcome activity.