March 02, 2006
Proofpoint Debuts Version 4 Of Its Messaging Security Gateway Appliance
Proofpoint Inc., Cupertino, has brought out version 4.0 of its Proofpoint Messaging Security Gateway appliance and Proofpoint Protection Server 4.0 software, featuring enhanced directory harvest attack prevention and an optional Zero-Hour Anti-Virus module for protection against emerging virus attacks.
The new Zero-Hour Anti-Virus module, available as an optional component guards against new forms of malicious code during the critical first hours after new viruses are released, before most anti-virus signatures have been updated. It identifies new virus activity and takes preventive action an average of 10 hours before signature-based solutions even begin to respond, according to .
Messages and attachments that fit the pattern of a suspected virus are automatically quarantined at the enterprise gateway where they can be held until the availability of a virus signature, the company said.
New directory harvest attack prevention features include enhancements to the Proofpoint MLX Dynamic Reputation software, which monitors all connections and terminates or throttles those connections that are found to be centers of malicious activity. The software can now detect and block directory harvest attacks based on local, real-time recipient verification. Malicous IP addresses are automatically blocked or throttled, conserving bandwidth and resources for valid senders.
Proofpoint says its machine learning technology analyzes more than 200,000 structural and content attributes to block spam, and continues to be updated with new content- and reputation-based spam identification techniques. Likewise, its Proofpoint Attack Response Center, which extracts malicious URLs associated with spyware, phishing and pharming sites, is constantly updated and incorporated into Proofpoint MLX.
The same machine learning technology is now used to recognize and filter spam across many different languages, including "double-byte" languages, like Japanese. Proofpoint claims the latest version of the MLX anti-spam engine offers 98 percent or greater effectiveness against Japanese language spam.
The Proofpoint Regulatory Compliance module also has been enhanced with a new "quick inspection" violation view that makes it easy for users to identify and take action on messages and attachments that are flagged as privacy breaches or policy violations. And a new plug-in architecture allows customers to add their own customized "smart identifiers" to Proofpoint Regulatory Compliance, as needed. These smart identifiers can be created for detecting customer- or location-specific data types such as account numbers, patient numbers, medical record numbers, billing codes, local forms of ID, etc.
Proofpoint Enterprise Data Connector technology, which allows the Proofpoint Digital Asset Security module to integrate with filesystems, databases, content management systems and other enterprise applications, has been updated with a connector for EMC Documentum applications.
New capabilities for managing mail transfer agents (MTAs) include a centralized GUI-based administration console that allows administrators to view queues and queue statistics, and examine, delete or reprocess messages in queue.
Core platform enhancements in Proofpoint 4 include support for real-time queries of LDAP-compatible directories and Microsoft Active Directory; expanded group-based policy support for configuring security and mail routing policies across the enterprise; support for additional operating systems, including Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS 4.0 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES 4.0.
Proofpoint Protection Server 4.0 software and Proofpoint Messaging Security Gateway 4.0 appliance now available with prices starting at $6,750 plus annual user license fees. Proofpoint modules for anti-spam, anti-virus, secure messaging and content security and multi-protocol policy enforcement are priced separately.
The Proofpoint Zero-Hour Anti-Virus module is available as an optional component of Proofpoint 4. Pricing starts at $2,720 per year, depending upon number of mailboxes protected.
13%
25%
38%
25%
