IronPort Revamps Security Monitoring Site

IronPort Systems has revised its Internet traffic monitoring Web site, a resource for IT staffers searching for a real-time view into security threats.

This Web site, www.senderbase.org, provides e-mail administrators visibility into the e-mail and Web traffic coming into their networks and features a new graphical user interface company officials hope will make it easier than ever for every member of the Internet community to track spam trends, virus outbreaks, spyware and other Web-based threats.

A free service, SenderBase.org can be used like a credit reporting service, providing comprehensive data that ISPs and companies can use to tell the difference between legitimate senders and attackers, IronPort officials said. Consumers, media and other parties can also use SenderBase to monitor threat activity and check their e-mail reputation scores, officials added.

“SenderBase examines the broadest set of data in the industry, currently examining more than 90 different parameters about e-mail traffic and 20 different parameters about Web traffic,” said Tom Gillis, IronPort’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, in an interview with eWEEK.

“Parameters tracked include global sending volume, complaint levels, ‘spamtrap’ accounts, whether a sender’s DNS resolves properly and accepts return mail, country of origin, blacklist information, probability that URLs are appearing as part of a spam or virus attack. Never before has it been so easy to distinguish ‘friend’ from ‘foe’ in one place,” he said.

Officials at the San Bruno, Calif., company said the new and improved features include: reputation scores available to anyone with a domain name or IP address that can measures whether criminals have compromised an identity; constant monitoring of spam and virus activity, with that activity identified by location, threat type and volume; and detailed reports. The reports are updated in real-time and also offer historical analysis.

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With data on more than 25 percent of the world’s Internet traffic, IronPort’s SenderBase contains information from more than a thousand participating organizations including 9 of the 10 largest ISPs.

“IronPort’s SenderBase Network provides an unprecedented real-time view into security threats from around the world,” noted Brian Burke, research manager for IDC’s security products service, in a statement. “The new SenderBase graphical interface, enhanced reporting tools, and the ease of use provides comprehensive data that ISPs and companies can use to help them make critical security decisions.”

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