Stonesoft Prevents Attacks From Website Malware

Published 22nd August 2007

Stonesoft Patents a Method and Device for Handling Related Connections in a Firewall...

London, UK – 21 August, 2007 – Stonesoft, an innovative provider of integrated network security and business continuity solutions, has developed and patented a unique technology to protect a specific class of security vulnerabilities that can be exploited via malicious web programs, or applets.

A normal applet is a program written in the Java programming language that can be included in a webpage, much in the same way an image is included in a page, to display scrolling text or animations. A malicious applet, however, attacks the local system of a computer connected to the Internet, which may lead to denial of service and invasion of privacy. The program does this by opening connections to the Internet and persuading firewalls to allow unauthorised connections to vulnerable services.

The invention patented by Stonesoft provides a means to detect and prevent this situation. Detection is based on examining the data flow and related processes for suspicious activity, such as data connections opened by different process families. Another revealing anomaly would be a control connection opening access to a port that has been opened earlier. Stonesoft’s new patent does this without the need to know the exact nature of the vulnerability or malware being used. This allows the system to detect new exploits and attacks.

The patent is called ‘Method and device for handling related connections in a firewall’ and was officially granted European patent number: European patent 1443729 on 14.3.2007.

“Stonesoft´s StoneGate solution has already received a number of patents to date, both in the US and in Europe. We are proud to receive this patent, regarding this as a further manifestation of our position as a forward-thinking and innovative provider in the network industry”, said Ilkka Hiidenheimo, Chief Executive Officer of Stonesoft.

About Stonesoft Corporation
Stonesoft Corporation (OMX: SFT1V) is an innovative provider of integrated network security solutions to secure the information flow of distributed organisations. Stonesoft customers include enterprises with growing business needs requiring advanced network security and always-on business connectivity.

StoneGate™ secure connectivity solution unifies firewall, VPN, IPS and SSL VPN blending network security, end-to-end availability and award-winning load balancing into a unified and centrally managed system. The key benefits of StoneGate secure connectivity solution include low TCO, excellent price-performance ratio and high ROI.

StoneGate Management Center provides unified management for StoneGate Firewall with VPN, IPS and SSL VPN. StoneGate Firewall and IPS work together to provide intelligent defence all over the enterprise network while StoneGate SSL VPN provides enhanced security for mobile and remote use.

Founded in 1990, Stonesoft Corporation is a global company with corporate headquarters in Helsinki, Finland and Americas headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information, visit www.stonesoft.com.

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