IBM introduces new class of network security appliance to control social media and web browsing risks

Advanced threats, rapid adoption of social media, and Web applications drive need for new, intelligent approach to security

Petaling Jaya, 8 August 2012 – As employee access to the Web has become a norm, enterprises have struggled with the increase of malware and bandwidth consumption that occurs when this access goes unchecked. Today’s solutions often offer limited visibility and control over network activity, putting the company at risk.

To help clients proactively protect against evolving security threats, including those posed by social media sites and malicious websites, IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced a new class of network security appliances that delivers a more granular view of a company’s security posture and a simplified security management interface.Amir Hamzah Shamsuddin, Security Senior Software Specialist, IBM Malaysia

This new next-generation intrusion prevention appliance helps clients address advanced attacks targeting their organization, providing visibility into exactly what applications are being used on the network, where users are going on the Web, with the ability to monitor and control this activity, resulting in improved security and reduced operational costs.

In ASEAN, mobile penetration and social media adoption is high and continues to grow. “We expect the number of users accessing social media sites via smart mobile devices to grow steadily along with the use of social media as a marketing tool. With the increase in mobile workforce in ASEAN, companies are likely to face more potential malicious attacks on their network via social media sites and related applications. Smarter security requires a holistic view from device, to network, users, applications and data. A true end-to-end picture of a company's security posture,” said Colin Penman, Regional Manager, Security Systems, IBM ASEAN.

Unprecedented Application Visibility
Many enterprises today, armed with legacy tools to protect themselves, are often not prepared to face the continuously evolving threat landscape. IBM Security Network Protection XGS 5000 is a next-generation intrusion protection system specifically designed to address the constantly evolving, increasingly sophisticated threats that organizations face today.

It builds on the proven, core security features found in IBM Security Network Intrusion Prevention System, including protection for “zero-day” exploits, by adding new levels of visibility and control over the network, applications, data and users to improve security by preventing misuse and identifying previously undetectable threats.

Once organizations are aware of the nature of activity on their network, the new application control features enable clients to have granular control over what is happening on their network –this means granular user and group-level control over which applications and websites are permitted, and how they are used down to individual actions or activities within these applications and sites.

With IBM’s Network Security Protection, clients will:
· Immediately discover which applications and Web sites are being accessed
· Identify misuse by application, Website, and user
· Understand who and what are consuming bandwidth

This visibility is greatly increased via integration with IBM’s Advanced Threat Protection Platform, which utilizes anomaly detection and event correlation capabilities to better address more complex attacks such as Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs). IBM Security customers also have the option of choosing tightly integrated Security Intelligence solutions or optimized security products depending on their immediate needs and strategic plans. In addition, IBM managed security services supports this platform for enhanced enterprise security.

“IBM Security Network Protection gives us a better view of our security posture and what is taking place on our network,” said Peter Param, Manager of Network and Security, from St. Vincent’s Hospital in Australia. “With more than 1,000 distinct users, as well as sizable traffic from streaming video and social media sites, knowing which employees are authorized to access particular sites throughout the day, as well as knowing which applications are being used on our network, is critical in optimizing it as well as increasing our security posture.”

The IBM Security Network Protection XGS 5000 is the newest addition to IBM’s Advanced Threat Protection Platform, the most comprehensive, integrated threat protection systems on the market. The solution helps protect against network-based threats masked in common network traffic, and prevents attackers from exploiting vulnerabilities at the network, host and application layers.

“The escalation of targeted attacks and rapid adoption of mobility, cloud and social media requires companies to take a new approach to securing the enterprise,” said Amir Hamzah Shamsuddin, Security Senior Software Specialist, IBM Malaysia. “IBM is uniquely positioned to help our customers address these challenges with our new Advanced Threat Protection Platform that combines total security intelligence from within the enterprise, exhaustive external threat intelligence and the new XGS appliance that delivers fine-grained activity detection and control.”

IBM Security’s Advanced Threat Protection Platform helps clients by providing the following features and capabilities:

· Proven security with protection from zero-day threats: enables preemptive protection against a full spectrum of advanced threats, including Web application attacks and exploits hidden in files. IBM’s protection engine is built upon years of security intelligence gathered by X-Force Research, and can stop entire classes of attacks – including new and unknown threats – without updates; most solutions available today match individual protection signatures – a process that is too slow to stop evolving threats and results in higher rates of false positives and false negatives.

· Ultimate visibility and insight: provides application awareness, monitoring and control, with high level dashboards for drilling down into events and reporting. Also provides deep insights into the nature of activities on the network through broad application awareness and flow data analysis. Integrates with QRadar Security Intelligence Platform to provide even greater levels of insight including anomaly detection and event correlation.

· Complete control: utilizes industry-leading intelligence related to Web applications, websites, and non-web applications, including the most comprehensive Web application and website coverage with over 15 billion URLs across 68 categories, support for 1000+ applications and actions.

Availability
IBM’s Network Security Protection XGS 5000 is available 3Q12.