FOSTER CITY, Calif. - August 23, 2004 -
FaceTime Communications, the leading provider of solutions that
secure, manage, and extend instant messaging (IM) and peer-to-peer
(P2P) applications, today warned of a new Download.Ject-style worm
that is spreading via the AIM and ICQ IM networks. The worm, not
yet named, targets AIM and ICQ users with messages that invite them
to visit a personal homepage. Users who click on the link are
routed to a Web site that installs to the desktop a program that
bombards the user with pop-ups advertising adult entertainment.
Recipients are easily duped into clicking the link, because the
messages appear to have been sent by trusted contacts. Two months
ago FaceTime warned against the "Osama Found" adware campaign,
which similarly hijacks user buddy lists to infect users, as well
as the Bizex worm attacks, which also used IM as a delivery
mechanism (http://www.facetime.com/pr/pr040406.aspx). The company
reports this is a growing problem and re-emphasizes that SPIM is
highly effective in compromising network security as well as the
information security of both enterprises and users. "These
malicious attacks leverage IM and SPIM to dupe users into exposing
their desktops to intrusion," said FaceTime CTO and VP of Products
Jonathan Christensen. "Not only do these attacks threaten network
security, they have the potential to compromise sensitive corporate
and user data. FaceTime continues its work with the public IM
networks as part of their collaborative effort to halt the
proliferation of SPIM." FaceTime IMAuditor™ is the only solution
that controls these and other forms of SPIM through the combination
of sophisticated content filtering capabilities and a
patent-pending challenge-response mechanism. Both features work to
intercept SPIM before it reaches the desktop without compromising
legitimate messages or slowing down the sending and receiving of
messages. FaceTime customers with IMAuditor 5.0 installed are
protected from this SPIM attack in two ways:
- If the SPIM attacker's identity is not on the target's buddy
list, FaceTime's patent pending challenge/response anti-SPIM
technology will stop the initial message.
- If the SPIM is proliferated through the target's IM buddy list,
FaceTime customers can leverage IMAuditor's content filtering and
scanning technology to block the URL script or common phrase.
FaceTime customers and prospects should contact their sales
representative or systems engineer for further information.
About Actiance, Inc. (Formerly FaceTime Communications, Inc.)
FaceTime Communications became Actiance, Inc on January 11, 2011 following an agreement to
transfer the FaceTime trademark to Apple.
FaceTime Communications enables the safe and productive use of Unified Communications and Web 2.0,
including instant messaging, blogs and social networking. Ranked number one by IDC for five consecutive
years, FaceTime's award-winning solutions are used by more than 1,500 customers for the security,
management and compliance of real-time communications. FaceTime supports or has strategic partnerships
with all leading IM, unified communications providers and social networks including AOL, Google, Yahoo!,
Skype, Microsoft, IBM, Cisco, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
FaceTime is headquartered in Belmont, California. For more information visit
http://www.facetime.com or call 888-349-3223.
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