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Breaking News - Security:

Forum Systems' Web Services Firewall To Stop Hidden Threats

Forum Systems Inc, a leader in Web services security, announced another industry first with the XWall Web Services Firewall. Unveiled on stage at DEMO 2004, XWall launches a new class of XML Intrusion Prevention (XIP) solutions, the only way stop a new breed of Web services-related threats before they enter the network, ensuring the integrity and availability of critical business applications. XWall changes the economics of Web services security by providing both small- to medium-sized businesses and Fortune 500 enterprises instant and affordable protection without a sophisticated security infrastructure.

"This is not Web server security -- this is Web services security. XWall leapfrogs today's firewalls to protect the automated Web where new hidden attacks can sneak right through. Forum's vision for this new class of Web Services Firewalls at the edge of the network allows enterprises of all sizes to break free from current complexities and costs for immediate protection. Forum is one of the most influential companies of 2004 because every firewall needs an XWall," said Chris Shipley, executive producer of DEMO 2004.

Every Web site is becoming a Web service. Everyone from Yahoo! to SMBs is adopting it for simplified online customer service and supply chain applications. Leading analysts project it will be the dominant model for new development projects in 2004. But Web services magnify security threats because they fling the network door wide open to all outsiders. Unfortunately, network and application firewalls are blind to Web services. Every company and individual is at risk to a new breed of hidden XML viruses, denial of Web service attacks and data invasions that are far more dangerous than any we have seen.


Web services, utility computing, .NET, CPU harvesting and distributed computing are just a few of the technologies that fall under the Grid computing umbrella. Gt04 -- a premiere enterprise Grid computing conference targeting industrial and commercial users -- will gather experts, and outline strategies and road maps for Grid deployment. For more information, visit www.gt04.com.

Grid computing is here!


"In this automated Web, machines have permission to access information and execute on it with no human intervention. Imagine the damage of 'MyDoom on steroids.' Web services security must be intelligent and pervasive -- and accessible to the masses," said Wes Swenson, president and CEO of Forum Systems.

Ray Wagner, research director at Gartner Inc, predicts that Web services deployments, especially those that interface with popular off-the-shelf enterprise applications, will suffer from the regular discovery of significant security vulnerabilities and from numerous automated attacks through at least 2006.

"Malicious people will find ways to misuse and attack Web services. Web services allow the hidden transmission of executables and other malicious content and current standards don't address this problem. Perimeter security controls must evolve as quickly as enterprise Web services to detect and neutralize unplanned use."

"Companies are realizing that Web services security issues aren't solved simply with trust-side gateways for extending internal identity management systems to Web services applications," said Ronald Schmelzer, senior analyst with ZapThink LLC. "Forum's XWall XML Intrusion Prevention extends beyond these measures to provide a pioneering approach to threat-side firewalls at the network edge as the first step to Web services security, accelerating what we predict will be a $4.4 billion industry by 2006."

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