Finjan warns of Valentine's Day e-card malware

Corporate IT Update, Feb 7, 2006

CORPORATE IT UPDATE-(C)1995-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

Finjan, a global provider of web security solutions for businesses and organisations, has warned that e-cards sent for events such as Valentine's Day, are open to misuse from those seeking to deploy malware.

Some five million e-cards were sent and received on 14 February 2005, many to and from work e-mail addresses, and even more e-cards are expected this year, increasing the threat from phishing, spyware and viruses.

According to Finjan, hackers are using malicious code to try to outsmart traditional security systems such as anti-virus, firewall and Intrusion Prevention/Detection products. It said even the receipt of an e-card can be a threat and claimed that while some recipients will opt to ignore them, others will try to open them, possibly exposing an organisation to web-borne security threats.

The company urged organisations to consider behaviour-based technology, which analyses active content and stops inappropriate or malicious content before it is able to strike. The technology is deployed at the gateway, provides 'Day-Zero' defence and offers real-time protection against attacks, including so far unpublished vulnerabilities.

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