Date: Wed, 9 Oct 1996 13:21:32 PDT Newsgroups: clari.tw.new_media.online.releases,clari.tw.computers.unix.releases Subject: Haystack Labs Licenses Its Active Security Technology To Sun Keywords: Comed, Computers/Electronics, Interactive/Multimedia/Internet Organization: Copyright 1996 by Business Wire Message-ID: <Bhaystack-labsURiZ8_6O9@clari.net>
AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 9, 1996-- After a technology review, Haystack Labs' "active security" technology has been selected by Sun Microsystems (SMCC) for inclusion in future Sun server products to meet expected customer demand for more complete security. Financial terms were not disclosed.
"The mainstream press is regularly covering stories about another web site or computer network attacked by internal or external forces," said Steve Smaha, president of Haystack Labs. "As one of the leaders in the Internet/intranet market, Sun is dedicated to providing its customers with the most secure systems available. This made them a great partner for Haystack. We're excited about teaming with an industry leader like Sun to provide this active security technology and put a stop to these unwelcome forays."
Active security products add a layer of network protection to traditional prevention mechanisms by providing perpetual monitoring, dynamic detection and tools for automated responses to security policy violations in real-time. When used with passive devices such as a firewall, active security products ensure non-stop system integrity and availability.
To support the notion that consumers require this increased level of security the following data were collected from a survey done by the Computer Security Institute. The survey was conducted on behalf of the FBI which concluded that 42 percent of respondents had experienced unauthorized use of computer systems. It went on to state that "private medical records, financial transactions and credit histories are at risk."
This is not only chilling but telling as the survey went on to say 50 percent of respondents didn't have a written policy on how to deal with network intrusions; 60 percent couldn't preserve evidence for criminal or civil proceedings; and fully one-in-five couldn't even tell if they had been attacked at all.
According to Neil Knox, vice president and general manager of the Internet an networking products group of SMCC, "Haystack Labs' Webstalker technology is a strong resource for true active security. Their technology goes beyond existing passive systems that put barriers around a network or server and hope it prevents a break-in. We plan to incorporate Haystack's products into the Netra Internet Server family, extending our lead as the most powerful, secure, easy-to-use web servers on the market."
Haystack Labs has been awarded a pioneering US patent in the field of compute and network security. Similar filings are pending in other countries.
This patent covers a new approach to computer and network intrusion detection virtually eliminating the problems of prior methods. Prior approaches used a simplistic "thresholding" method of detection: for example, how many failed log-ins happened in the last 60 seconds? The new patented approach allows detection and response to patterns, or "signatures" of behavior that are detected in network traffic and system security logs. This can include "scans" by popular break-in tools and multi-step attack scenarios. This patent covers the technology that enables commercial-grade misuse detection and response tools to be built and operated without irritating false alarms.
Haystack Labs, Inc., based in Austin, Texas, develops and markets the Stalker family of active security software for computer systems and TCP/IP networks. Founded in 1989, the company foresaw the impacts of the Internet and World Wide Web on computer security, and recognized the need for active security and monitoring tools to provide a new dimension of protection for networks and computer systems. The company secured $2.2 million in investment funds from Venrock Associates and Trellis Management Company, earlier this year. Haystack Labs has patented its security technology used to detect misuse and intrusions. The company also owns the world's largest database of known ways to break into UNIX systems.
The Stalker product family includes Stalker, NetStalker, and WebStalker. WebStalker version 1.0 is an automated Web server monitoring tool that protects the integrity of the server 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Stalker version 2.0 is a system auditing and security monitoring tool for UNIX systems. It tracks and reports user activities, misuses, and break-ins. NetStalker, an OEM product, provides real-time monitoring and security capabilities for TCP/IP networks using Network Systems Corp. routers.
All company and product names are trademarks of their respective companies.
For interview appointments and additional product information and images including screen captures and photography are available by contacting: Rick McKenna at (508) 371-1510.