Filter service stops complex web threats

WebDefender available by year end

Internet and email managed service provider Inty has announced WebDefender, a new managed web security system which it said can filter traffic more efficiently and protect enterprises from complex threats, including so-called zero-day exploits that attack previously unidentified flaws.

WebDefender is based on hardware from StreamShield. It filters viruses and other malicious traffic at the internet level so that the flow of web traffic is not disrupted and network speeds are unaffected, the company said.

Inty founding director Mark Herbert said the service also blocks any URLs belonging to the Internet Watch Foundation's list of illegal web sites.

"The danger is that if something [malicious] gets into an organisation, it will be stored on the proxy servers or in caches," Herbert said. "We prevent all that stuff from getting on the corporate network, and [IT managers] don't have to install any software."

Herbert said the company's hardware scanners can cope with bandwidth up to 1GB/s per device, delivering very fast performance and overcoming the objections of "latency and lag" that are often levelled at web-filtering services.

According to Herbert, this processing power means WebDefender provides good value for money and is also equipped to mitigate zero-day threats.

Thus, the system can block network traffic trying to exploit weaknesses in applications that have yet to be patched, giving IT managers breathing space before fixes are rolled out, said Herbert.

WebDefender will be generally available by the end of 2005, according to Herbert.