ScanSafe Reports 147 Percent Surge in World Cup-Related Web Surfing; Workers in the Netherlands and UK Spend the Most Time Tracking the Event Online; Latest Statistics on Global Web Security Show Increase in Malware in May

Business Wire, June 14, 2006

LONDON & SAN MATEO, Calif. -- ScanSafe, Inc., the global leader in managed Web security, today released its latest threat data on Web filtering, spyware, and viruses. Among the key findings, the company reported that in a sample of more than one billion global Web requests from June 5-11, 2006 -- the week leading up to the opening weekend of the FIFA World Cup -- it saw an average 147 percent increase in visits over the prior week to World Cup-related sites by office workers in 10 countries.

According to the data, Dutch employees spent an average of 46 minutes per day searching World Cup-related sites, followed by users in the United Kingdom who spent an average of 37 minutes per day engaged in the same activity. In contrast, their French counterparts spent five minutes per day searching World Cup-related sites and American workers spent just 4 minutes per day doing so. The most popular site was the FIFA official World Cup site (http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com).

"The fact that people are visiting World Cup Websites is not a surprise," said Eldar Tuvey, CEO, ScanSafe. "The big concern is that recreational surfing at work not only consumes bandwidth and lowers productivity, but it can expose corporate networks to Web viruses, spyware and other malware that can steal confidential information."

According to ScanSafe's latest data, 28 percent of users spend nearly an hour each day on recreational surfing.

"Having the right Web security technology in place is crucial, but it is equally important to ensure that staff understand and abide by the employer's policy on acceptable Internet usage," Tuvey said.

May Sees Continued Growth in Malware -- Highlights Need for Zero-Hour Threat Protection

In addition to World Cup-related surfing trends, ScanSafe reported a 20 percent increase in Web viruses in May. Nearly 13 percent of all Web viruses blocked by ScanSafe were detected by Outbreak Intelligence(TM), the company's proprietary heuristics technology. This trend reinforces the need for real-time scanning that can detect and block zero-hour threats -- threats that appear before an anti-virus signature is made available.

ScanSafe also reported a 9 percent increase in spyware and adware intercepts during May. ScanSafe reported a 41 percent increase in blocking Browser Helper Objects (BHOs) -- unwanted browser plug-ins that can track users' online activity.

The top-10 spyware, adware and other unwanted programs blocked by ScanSafe in May were:

1.  Gator

    2.  Your Site Bar

    3.  Hotbar

    4.  StarWare

    5.  My Search

    6.  CometCursor

    7.  Target Saver

    8.  MarketScore

    9.  Huntbar

    10. Context Plus

A full copy of ScanSafe's latest Global Threat Report is available online at http://www.scansafe.com.

About ScanSafe

Founded in 1999, ScanSafe is the world's first provider of "Software as a Service" Web security. Powered by proactive heuristics technology Outbreak Intelligence(TM), ScanSafe provides a comprehensive suite of Web security services that guarantee high performance, best-of-breed protection. Its managed service screens the Web when users surf, keeping it safe and productive. Viruses, malware and spyware are blocked before they reach the network and Web access policies are enforced without hardware or software.

ScanSafe currently scans more than three billion Web requests each month, blocking two million threats on behalf of customers such as Rothschild, Conde Nast and BMW. Since pioneering the market for managed Web security, ScanSafe has maintained its global leadership and it continues to lead the direction of the market through innovation. The company services customers in the U.S., Europe and Asia, and has offices in London and San Mateo, California.

ScanSafe is privately owned and financed by Benchmark Capital. The company recently received Info Security Products Guide's Global Product Excellence Award for Managed Security Service 2006, and was also named one of Red Herring's Top 100 Technology companies of 2005. For more information, please visit www.scansafe.com.

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