Forum Systems Unveils Industry’s First Web Services Firewall To Stop Hidden Threats At Network Edge
DEMO 2004 – Scottsdale, AZ – February 16, 2004 – Forum Systems, Inc., leader in Web services security, today announced another industry first with the XWallT Web Services Firewall. Unveiled on stage at DEMO 2004, XWallT launches a new class of XML Intrusion Prevention (XIP) solutions, the only way stop a new breed of Web services-related threats before they enter the network, ensuring the integrity and availability of critical business applications. XWallT changes the economics of Web services security by providing both small- to medium-sized businesses and Fortune 500 enterprises instant and affordable protection without a sophisticated security infrastructure.
“This is not Web server security – this is Web services security. XWallT leapfrogs today’s firewalls to protect the automated Web where new hidden attacks can sneak right through. Forum’s vision for this new class of Web Services Firewalls at the edge of the network allows enterprises of all sizes to break free from current complexities and costs for immediate protection. Forum is one of the most influential companies of 2004 because every firewall needs an XWallT,” said Chris Shipley, Executive Producer, DEMO 2004.
Every Web site is becoming a Web service. Everyone from Yahoo! to SMBs is adopting it for simplified online customer service and supply chain applications. Leading analysts project it will be the dominant model for new development projects in 2004. But Web services magnify security threats because they fling the network door wide open to all outsiders. Unfortunately, network and application firewalls are blind to Web services. Every company and individual is at risk to a new breed of hidden XML viruses, denial of Web service attacks and data invasions that are far more dangerous than any we have seen (“IT Advisory: Security Experts Identify Top Ten New Web Services Vulnerabilities” http://www.forumsys.com/news.htm/).
“In this automated Web, machines have permission to access information and execute on it with no human intervention. Imagine the damage of ‘MyDoom on steroids.’ Web services security must be intelligent and pervasive – and accessible to the masses,” said Wes Swenson, president and CEO of Forum Systems.
Ray Wagner, Research Director at Gartner Inc. predicts that Web services deployments, especially those that interface with popular off-the-shelf enterprise applications, will suffer from the regular discovery of significant security vulnerabilities and from numerous automated attacks through at least 2006. “Malicious people will find ways to misuse and attack Web services. Web services allow the hidden transmission of executables and other malicious content and current standards don’t address this problem. Perimeter security controls must evolve as quickly as enterprise Web services to detect and neutralize unplanned use.”
“Companies are realizing that Web services security issues aren’t solved simply with trust-side gateways for extending internal identity management systems to Web services applications,” said Ronald Schmelzer, senior analyst with ZapThink, LLC. “Forum’s XWall XML Intrusion Prevention (XIP) extends beyond these measures to provide a pioneering approach to threat-side firewalls at the network edge as the first step to Web services security, accelerating what we predict will be a $4.4 billion industry by 2006.”
XWallT: Industry’s First Web Services Firewall with XIP XWallT is the only way to protect against new hidden Web services threats. It complements existing firewalls to dynamically enforce the security, integrity and availability of Web services through three comprehensive categories of perimeter policies:
. XML Intrusion Prevention (XIP) – Detects and Prevents Malicious Use: Forum has identified all possible attack scenarios, misuses and abuses of Web services and narrowed them down to 15 intrusion prevention rules that can be turned on or off at any time. XWallT recognizes attacks based on knowledge of Web services operations, users and message content and context using anomalous as well as signature threat detection capabilities. XWallT then blocks, quarantines or throttles for further inspection.
. Web Services Control – Decides “Who, What, Where and How” Can Enter: XWallT controls whether or not individual XML and SOAP messages, API’s, users and URL’s may gain access – for read, write or execute privileges – to enterprise Web services.
. Web Services Data Integrity – Checks for Conformance and Errors: Data corruption can cause disruptions in the back office that bring down mission-critical applications. XWallT checks raw XML and SOAP messages for conformance to XML schemas and customized rules.
Set up is completed in minutes through two simple steps: loading Web service description language documents (called WSDL files) into XWallT, then applying prevention policies. SSL offloading is integrated into XWallT to enhance and consolidate security systems and costs.
XWallT is available immediately in three flexible options to fit into any network: software for $2,500, PCI card for $5,000 or hardware appliance for $9,995.
About Forum Systems
Forum Systems, Inc. delivers the industry’s first suite of dedicated, layered Web Services security solutions “from the edge to the app” for government agencies, financial institutions, and e-business. Forum products provide trust for confidential information in extended enterprises and protection of business networks against a new breed of Web services-related threats. Forum Sentry is a winner of Network Computing Magazine’s Editor’s Choice Award and Network Magazine’s Product of the Year 2003 Award and a finalist for Network Computing Magazine’s 2003 Well-Connected Award. Forum Systems, founded in 2001, is headquartered in Salt Lake City, UT. For more information contact 801-313-4400 or http://www.forumsys.com/.