Detica and Cloudmark Partner to Provide ISPs With Network-Layer Security Against Botnets and Outbound Spam

Market Wire, October, 2007

Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group 11th General Meeting -- Detica Plc, a business and technology consulting firm specializing in information intelligence, and Cloudmark Inc, the global leader in carrier-grade messaging security, today announced a technology partnership to enable transparent, high-performance outbound messaging protection for Internet service providers (ISPs). The joint solution delivers unparalleled outbound spam detection and filtering for all e-mail traffic on the ISPs' network and helps service providers identify subscriber PCs that have been compromised by botnets. Both companies are participating in this week's Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG) 11th General Meeting in Washington, D.C. This is a members-only event focused on preserving electronic messaging from online exploits and abuse while enhancing user trust and confidence and ensuring the deliverability of legitimate messages. Announced at MAAWG, the new Cloudmark and Detica solution effectively combats the growing problem of outbound abuse, thereby keeping ISPs' network pipes clean, subscribers happy and their own brand reputations safe.

Today, of the 600 million computers currently on the Internet, it is estimated that between 100 and 150 million are already part of botnets, large groups of computers that have been compromised by professional spammers and used, without the knowledge of the PC owner, to send high volumes of spam. The computers that are part of these botnets, called zombies, account for about 70 percent of all spam traffic sent. The high volume of spam traffic generated by botnets has created a serious problem for both receiving and sending ISPs. ISPs that unwittingly transport abusive messages face blacklisting, which impacts subscriber satisfaction and their brand reputation.

Previously, ISPs were unable to detect or filter all abusive outbound traffic because e-mails sent through botnets are usually sent directly to the Internet without going through the ISPs' mail transfer agents (MTAs). In the past, the only way to stop outbound spam was by closing "Port 25," a port used to send e-mail, and requiring sender authentication. This process is extremely costly for service providers and can create a poor user experience for subscribers.

Detica's StreamShield Content Security Gateway (CSG) is designed to sit in front of a service provider's mail stream as a transparent proxy filtering device through which all e-mail traffic flows, even those messages that are not currently hitting the MTA. This serves as a first line of defense against outgoing malware, spyware, adware and spam. To further enhance its network-level platform, Detica has integrated Cloudmark Authority, the industry-leading messaging anti-abuse technology. Cloudmark Authority leverages Advanced Message Fingerprinting(TM) technology based on innovative, high-performance algorithms and real-time, corroborated feedback from the Cloudmark Global Threat Network to stop spam, phishing and viruses with greater than 98 percent accuracy and near zero false positives.

Together, Detica and Cloudmark are enabling ISPs to transparently intercept, inspect and filter out all outbound spam on their networks without the need to close Port 25 or reconfigure existing messaging environments. In addition, the joint solution allows ISPs to identify and stop zombie PCs from sending spam. Now, all subscribers are protected from both inbound and outbound messaging abuse without the need for any change to their e-mail systems. Those subscribers with compromised PCs who were once automatically blacklisted by their provider can proactively and actively be identified and sent for further remediation. ISPs, whose reputation is often affected by publication of pervasive rankings of providers with the worst spam infection rates, can better protect their brand while ensuring the most positive user experience for their subscribers.

"Cloudmark's technology is already the choice of more than 90 service providers around the world for stopping spam, viruses and phishing attacks from entering their networks," said Jamie de Guerre, CTO at Cloudmark. "Now, our partnership with Detica allows us to help ISPs stop the increasingly prolific volume of abusive traffic being sent from their networks through compromised subscriber PCs. Together, Cloudmark and Detica are introducing a new approach to network-layer security by enabling service providers to detect all outbound abuse from their networks, as well as identify infected PCs for remediation, all without going through the steps of closing Port 25. The joint solution not only helps protect subscribers and ensures that they have a positive e-mail experience, but also empowers ISPs to stop being part of the spam problem and become part of the spam solution."

"We are delighted to strengthen our relationship with Cloudmark and together work towards contributing to the global fight against spam," said Tom Black, Detica Group Chief Executive Officer. "In deciding on the best message filtering solution to integrate with the StreamShield Content Security platform, we explored several technologies and found that none offered the accuracy, low false positive rate and high performance offered by Cloudmark Authority. We firmly believe that the unique combination of the StreamShield Content Security platform and Cloudmark Authority offers ISPs an innovative solution to stopping outbound spam and defeating botnets on their networks."