MetaInfo offers enterprise way to avoid malware

Enterprise Networks & Servers, Sep 2005

As enterprises grapple with the effects of the ZoTob worm, network management solutions company MetaInfo has this advice for businesses that wish to avoid similar situations in the future: consider authenticating computers before they have access to core network services, not after.

"More than 80 percent of the internal security breaches our customers encounter are accidental," said Grant Asplund, president of MetaInfo. This is due to the fact that most networks today allow computers unencumbered access to the core services required in order to authenticate and verify the systems. Worms, viruses and other malware can be unleashed in the few seconds that it can take the network to authenticate a user, with devastating effects."

As with the ZoTob worm, laptops are typically the culprit for most malware that finds its way on the network, Asplund said, and the user of the laptop generally has no idea that it is infected. Anti-virus and other network security software often deals with malware too late for many enterprises - after it is on the network. However, to help prevent malware from ever reaching the network, organizations should consider implementing network endpoint access protection controls, which protect the network at the point of accessing core network IP services such as DNS, DHCP and the TCP/IP address every system requires, said Asplund.

With the company's Meta IP software, MetaInfo has taken a unique approach to endpoint access protection by adding an extra layer of protection at the IP (Internet Protocol) level, which is a component of all computer networks. Unlike legacy network systems, such as those provided free in network operating systems, Meta IP quarantines all computers trying to gain access to core network services while it authenticates them and makes sure they are safe to access the network. "By taking this approach, our customers are able to eliminate most, if not all, of the accidental infections from internal access," Asplund said.

Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, MetaInfo provides secure IP foundations for network infrastructures. Its flagship product, Meta IP, is used by enterprises in a variety of industries, including healthcare, finance and government.

For more information, call 206-674-3700 see www.metainfo.com.