FOSTER CITY, CALIF - July 20, 2006 -
SpywareGuide.com, the popular public reference site for security
research sponsored by FaceTime Communications, has expanded its
tools, added new research blogs and broadened its reference
database. The expanded database provides more in-depth information
about spyware, adware and malware spread through the use of
greynets including instant messaging (IM), chat rooms, P2P file
sharing, web browsing and collaboration software. The site is
highly ranked by most major search engines for spyware and adware
keyword searches, and receives more than 1.5 million user sessions
per month. Real-time communications applications are expanding from
their beginnings as consumer applications populated by teenagers to
become mainstream business productivity tools. While the business
potential for harnessing their advantages is promising, these
greynets can introduce security risks, compliance concerns, and the
potential for information leakage if left unmanaged. IM, P2P and
web collaboration networks are among the foremost carriers of
spyware, adware, worms, rootkits and other malware that evade the
currently deployed network security infrastructure.
SpywareGuide.com offers a comprehensive resource for researchers,
network managers, users, reporters and analysts to gain an
understanding of the behavior of greynets and the threats they can
carry. SpywareGuide.com Public Resources
The Research Database on SpywareGuide.com, is an extensive
resource center with dynamic information on all types of malware in
an extensive and continually updated database. The site gives
visitors the opportunity to contribute tips and information about
malware or phishing attacks for SpywareGuide.com researchers to
pursue, and provides recommendations on how to manage or prevent
malware incidents. On the Greynets Blog, FaceTime researchers talk
candidly about greynet threats, covering spyware, adware, IM worms,
rootkits and the rapidly changing security landscape. Beyond
researching individual threats, the Greynets Blog team provides
deep insight into the tactics and strategies used by those on both
sides of the growing wave of cyber problems. The Greynets Blog
features key FaceTime security experts, including:
- Chris Boyd, also known as Paperghost, a two-time Microsoft
Security MVP and leading spyware researcher;
- Wayne Porter, a highly recognized e-commerce fraud expert and
co-founder of ReveNews.com, also recently named a Microsoft
Security MVP.
Together, Boyd and Porter blend cross-disciplined knowledge to
help people understand the new fusion of malware and money. The new
Tools section provides visitors to SpywareGuide.com with a free
online computer scan to discover any malware threats on their PC.
Visitors may also download a free version of the X-Cleaner spyware
remover, which includes free updates obtained through
SpywareGuide.com to neutralize new threats as they develop. In
addition, a free end user license agreement (EULA) analyzer,
currently in beta, assists users in better understanding the
contracts they enter into when using software on the Internet.
Backed by FaceTime Security Labs
Backed by the global research of FaceTime Security Labs,
SpywareGuide.com has been the first to publish warnings on a
variety of greynet-related malware incidents. Recent research by
FaceTime Security Labs uncovered malware incidents including the
self-propagating worm, yahoo32.explr, spread via Yahoo! Instant
Messenger (see Self Propagating Worm Installs Unsafe "Safety
Browser," May 19, 2006), and the OrcWorm that targeted Google's
Orkut social networking site, extracting banking and password data
from users' PCs (see "FaceTime Security Labs Warns against
Data-Theft Worm Targeting Google's Orkut," June 19, 2006). The
SpywareGuide.com team also uncovered some of the worst spyware
threats last year, including the discovery of a worm distributed
via AOL™ Instant Messenger (AIM) carrying a rootkit that pushed
video to user desktops via BitTorrent's P2P software. This instance
of malware was linked to a group in the Middle East. In addition to
protecting consumers and enterprises by providing information on
spyware threats, the research team continues to coordinate with law
enforcement officials to identify and assist in the apprehension of
criminal perpetrators of malware. FaceTime Security Labs is the
industry's foremost research organization dedicated to the
identification of new greynets and the collection, analysis, and
remediation of threats generated through the use of greynets. The
team includes researchers based in California, West Virginia, the
United Kingdom, and India. This global team is aggressively
researching new security threats around the clock.
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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