Rise in Rapidly Propagating Threats Targeting Internal Networks
Austin, TX – June 15, 2004 – Mirage Networks, Inc., the pioneer in security solutions for Interior Network Defense, today released an analysis that 83 threats introduced since January 1, 2004 have the ability to rapidly propagate without any action required by end-users. These worms are the most dangerous threats to corporate networks, as they are self-replicating and can find and exploit vulnerabilities on a massive scale. This group of threats includes Sasser, Witty, Cycle, and new variants of Gaobot and Welchia. Growing from 5 rapidly propagating threats (RPTs) released in January, to a combined 62 RPTs in April and May, the growth trend seems likely to continue over the summer months.
Rapidly Propagating Threats are malware that require no intervention to propagate throughout a network at rates much faster than the slow-moving worms and viruses that are typically stopped by signature-based security solutions. In many cases these worms are able to get past perimeter defenses because no signatures exist to identify them or they are introduced to the network by a laptop computer or other portable device. The Mirage Networks Inverted Firewall was designed specifically to stop rapidly propagating threats on internal networks, preventing them from bringing the network down and maintaining business continuity. The Inverted Firewall can detect and stop the 83 RPTs out-of-the-box, on day zero, without requiring signatures, agents or in-line placement on the network.
“In addition to the growing number of RPTs, there is also a shrinking window of time between when a vulnerability is announced and when exploit code is developed.” said Greg Stock, vice president, sales and marketing, Mirage Networks. “With less and less time to patch effectively, it essential that IT organizations put in place technology that can automatically contain these mounting threats without requiring signatures to be developed and updated.”
Contrary to rapidly propagating threats, some of the slower propagating threats seem to be down. Mass mailers – like MyDoom – that require some form of human intervention to propagate, have fallen from 54 new releases in March 2004 to only 14 in May 2004.
“The evolution and acceleration of today’s rapidly propagating computer worms solidifies the need for layered security in any business, educational and government institution”, states Pete Lindstrom of Spire Security. “Mirage Networks has developed an appliance that protects the network interior through a behavior-based methodology that uniquely stops malicious traffic without interrupting intended business communications. The Inverted Firewall achieves this objective without requiring signature updates, agent software or network re-architecture.”
About Mirage Networks
Mirage Networks is the pioneer in security solutions for Interior Defense. The Mirage Networks Inverted Firewall is the first security appliance designed specifically to protect internal networks against rapidly propagating threats. The self-contained out-of-band appliance identifies, slows and contains malicious traffic without interrupting normal business communications. The Inverted Firewall stops threats day-zero, requiring no signatures, no agents and no network re-architecture to immediately begin detecting and mitigating worms and other malicious threats that can bring down networks in minutes.