Today, Websense® is helping organizations and individuals protect their blogs, Facebook pages and other Web 2.0 sites through the delivery of Defensio™ 2.0, a threat detection system for the social Web that analyzes and classifies user-generated content in real-time as it is posted to blogs and Facebook pages, to protect visitors from being exposed to malicious links and spam.
Individuals and organizations with Facebook pages can visit www.defensio.com to download the free Defensio security application for Facebook. It runs on the Facebook page in real-time, scanning and analyzing content posted to the page – including wall posts, comments, third-party applications and links – to look for security threats and spam. If a threat is identified, the Defensio application alerts the Facebook page owner so they may remove it and prevent their online friends and fans from being exposed to the risk.
In the past, Websense has brought to light many examples of hackers and fraudsters taking advantage of the most popular trends on the Internet to exploit people. Unfortunately, this activity is not limited to just the pop culture elements of today’s news, but also pervades tragic occurrences as well.
This week, Websense Security Labs has detected a number of online scams and malicious exploits pertaining to the recent earthquake and relief efforts in Haiti.
Watch the video overview of the threats expected to increase during the next year and security trends to watch for in 2010.
This video covers the following emerging security exploits and 2010 security predictions from Websense Security Labs:
· Interesting new trends in Web 2.0 and real-time search exploits
· Increased attacks on smartphone, Mac and Microsoft 7 platforms
· Changes to the ways that botnets operate, including new aggressive behavior
· New sophistication in email and blended attacks
We’ve blogged before about the potential dangers that can lurk behind shortened URLs. Because shortened URLs are commonly shared among friends on social networking sites, users often don’t think twice about clicking on them despite the fact that they don’t know where they are being directed. Hackers and spammers have taken advantage of this trust by using shortened URLs to spread their wares to unsuspecting victims.
But that is about to change. Today, bit.ly – the leading URL shortening service – took a major step forward in preventing malware, spam and phishing through its shortened links by announcing that they will use Websense ThreatSeeker Cloud to analyze and categorize the Web sites and content behind millions of shortened bit.ly URLS created daily. Read more>
Websense, today released the most recent video report covering Web threat activity for October 2009. The video supplement to the monthly “This Month in the Threat Webscape” report presents an informative recap of the most pressing Web, email and data security challenges for the month. This month’s report covers:
· Facebook applications hacked
· Massive Facebook password reset phishing attack
· Microsoft Web Outlook credential stealing campaign
· The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) alerting small and medium businesses to massive bank fraud responsible for $100 million in attempted losses
· FBI director Robert Mueller targeted in banking phishing attempt
Targeted Spear Phishing Attacks Steal Corporate Online Banking Credentials – What Should Businesses do to Protect Themselves?
The FBI recently revealed a sobering statistic – email phishing attacks and malicious Trojans targeting public institutions and small-to-medium sized businesses (SMBs) have led to approximately $100 million in attempted losses in the past several months. The phishing emails mainly hit SMBs, schools, court systems and other public institutions and contain either a malicious file attachment or a URL to an infected Web site. Read more>
Cloud-Based Delivery Infrastructure Allows Internet Service Providers, Web 2.0 Properties, Mobile Carriers, Networking Solution Providers and other Third-Parties to Incorporate Websense Security Intelligence into Their Products and Services
Today Websense announced a carrier-level, cloud-based security service for third-party solution providers – the Websense® ThreatSeeker® Cloud. The service allows third-party solution providers to incorporate the security intelligence of Websense ThreatSeeker Network into their products and services so they can add greater value to their own offerings and protect their customers from Web-based security threats. The ThreatSeeker Cloud gives third-party providers real-time access to the advanced Web, data and email security intelligence of the ThreatSeeker Network through a Web-based API.
ThreatSeeker Cloud can be used by Internet service providers (ISPs) to deliver security protection or safe search functionality to their individual consumers; or it can be used by network solution providers who want to incorporate real-time security into their network devices without needing to install hardware or software; or by Web 2.0 properties wanting to classify hyperlinks and content posted to their sites in real-time to prevent visitors from clicking on malicious content. These are just a few examples of the many ways that third-party service and solution providers can leverage the ThreatSeeker Cloud.
Already, more than 3.5 million users are being protected by third-party services and solutions that are leveraging the Websense ThreatSeeker Cloud.
In another example announced today, a company called Radialpoint is using ThreatSeeker Cloud to provide its customers -- who are ISPs -- with industry-leading security intelligence so that those ISPs can then, in turn, deliver real-time threat protection to their customers, who are individual consumers. When users of the service visit a Web site – instantaneously and transparent to the user – the Web site and its content is analyzed through the Websense ThreatSeeker Cloud threat detection and protection network. If the Web site has been classified by Websense as malicious, fraud or phishing, the Internet user can be warned and protected from going to the site.
To read more about how Radialpoint is using Websense ThreatSeeker Cloud, read the press release.
To learn more about Websense ThreatSeeker Cloud, read the press release or visit the Web page here.
Introducing new features in Websense SaaS security solutions
The problem of botnet-compromised computers is a real issue for organizations. Once one computer on the network is affected, it can quickly spread to other computers on the network. IT managers are constantly worried that botnets might be holding some of their computers hostage or that one of their machines has been compromised by a Trojan Horse and is sending out confidential data.
Tracking and cleaning these compromised computers as the infection spreads through the network can take countless man hours and massive investigation.
Now, Websense has a new reporting tool as part of its software-as-a-service (saas) Web Security Gateway that informs users what threats are trying to come IN to their organization and what information is trying to LEAVE their organization. The new Web malware report instantly shows Web malware detections filtered by direction so that users can easily isolate malware coming in and being sent out of their network. Malware Detail gives the administrator access to the details of any uploaded or downloaded malware in the selected time period. This means that if they have an issue with malware in their system, they can isolate the details of where it has come from and where it has gone, right down to the user.
Read the full blog post to learn more about the new features in Websense SaaS security solutions.
The federal government designated October as national Cyber Security Awareness Month. In this short video on the White House blog, President Obama explains the importance of cyber security and gives strategies for protecting yourself while online.
Since its inception 15 years ago Websense® has been on the leading edge of Internet security, helping protect businesses, their employees and their essential information from Web-based threats. The combination of our Web, email and data security technologies, along with the research conducted in the Websense Security Labs™, enables us to protect our customers from today’s most advanced online security threats which span multiple attack vectors.
In this blog post, Websense provides some advice for staying secure while using the Web. You can also stay on top of the latest threats by reading the Websense Security Labs blog and by following the Security Labs on Twitter at www.twitter.com/websenselabs.
Patrik Runald recently joined Websense as Senior Manager, Security Research in the Websense Security Labs. We were able to tear him away from discovering and researching the most recent threats for a few minutes to talk about his work experience, perspective on today’s threats and his first impressions of the Websense Security Labs. Read more>
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