IT security and control firm Sophos has announced new key features to its managed WS1000 Web security appliance that enable organisations to keep pace with evasive end-user tools, and the latest threats to security and compliance.
Offered as a free and automatic upgrade, the new features include multi-layer protection against anonymising proxies, which can be used to avoid URL filtering controls, as well as providing HTTPS scanning and a host of end-user enforcement and reporting improvements.
The latest research from Sophos highlights the worsening state of security on the Web. SophosLabs finds an average of one new malware-infected Web page every five seconds - a threefold increase over 2007 - with 90% of compromised pages being found on legitimate sites.
Exacerbating the situation for IT departments are tools such as anonymising proxies. Based on customer feedback, Sophos notes that this is particularly prevalent and problematic in the education sector, where students often resist controls and have advanced knowledge of Web technologies. In this environment, IT departments are subject to strict guidelines designed to protect students from exposure to inappropriate or unsafe content.
With fast, full spectrum managed threat protection - including URL-based filtering, real-time malware scanning and content filtering - the WS1000 has already established itself as a best-in-class solution in the marketplace for Web security.
The new features of the WS1000 include the Proxy Reputation Service. This involves tracking the vast array of internet blogs, mailing lists and forums that share anonymising proxy sites and services as they become available and immediately publishing updates to the block list.
The real-time Proxy Scanner is a patent-pending detection engine that decodes and inspects every Web request for signs that the traffic is being intentionally routed through an anonymising proxy.
HTTPS scanning enables scanning and filtering of SSL-encrypted traffic. This has historically been a significant blind spot for security solutions. With the addition of HTTPS scanning, Sophos can help organisations ensure that no malware is being transferred or policies violated when communicating over HTTPS in applications such as webmail.
Another new feature, SafeSearch Enforcement, ensures the safe search mode is enforced within major search engines such as Google, Yahoo and MSN to further protect networks from infected or inappropriate site results.
The updated WS1000 also offers enhancements to reporting. New, user-specific, activity reporting covers categories, sites visited and time online and allows for behaviour tracking against acceptable use policies and for conducting forensic audits.
"Web threat authors are one step ahead of traditional filtering solutions leaving most businesses under-protected today," says Brett Myroff, CEO of regional Sophos distributor, Sophos South Africa. "With the Sophos Web appliance, and in particular this latest release, organisations can reclaim time and control over Web usage and be assured they are protected against the latest threat trends and productivity drains."
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NetXactics, trading as Sophos South Africa, is a South African-based company focused on the provision of security solutions. It is the master distributor for UK-based Sophos Plc, one of the leaders in the provision of network access control and endpoint, e-mail and Web security and control solutions for the corporate environment. For more information, visit Sophos South Africa at www.sophos.co.za.
Sophos
Sophos enables enterprises worldwide to secure and control their IT infrastructure. Our network access control, endpoint, Web and e-mail solutions simplify security to provide integrated defenses against malware, spyware, intrusions, unwanted applications, spam, policy abuse, data leakage and compliance drift. With over 20 years of experience, we protect over 100 million users in nearly 150 countries with our reliably engineered security solutions and services. Recognised for our high level of customer satisfaction, we have an enviable history of industry awards, reviews and certifications. Sophos is headquartered in Boston, MA and Oxford, UK.
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