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Press ReleaseHackers Teaching Schools New Math10 Fold Spike in IT Security Incidents in Academic Settings since Start of School Year HOUSTON - SEPTEMBER 18, 2006 - Students and teachers are not the only ones back to school this year. So are computer worms, Trojans, and other computer network threats that are getting past school systems firewalls, according to Houston-based Alert Logic, the only IT network security company leveraging a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform to deliver on-demand protection to mid-sized businesses. Alert Logic is reporting a ten-fold spike in the number of "serious security incidents" facing their academic customers since schools began opening their doors over the past several weeks. Through a network security solution that provides the key elements of intrusion prevention, vulnerability assessment and a 24X7 threat monitoring service, Alert Logic is able to detect, protect and correct IT security threats. Through this service, Alert Logic has registered a sharp increase in potentially damaging IT attacks getting past school firewalls and perimeter security defenses since the end of August. Students are more apt to freely open questionable e-mail attachments, regularly visit disreputable websites, aggressively use both IM and P2P applications, and in general practice poor "Internet hygiene" when compared to their corporate user counterparts. Academic IT departments are also typically understaffed and ill-equipped. They tend not to be diligent about keeping up with the latest patches for recently discovered network and system vulnerabilities. When worms, Trojans and botnets come knocking, school networks are often too accommodating. "Before the school year began, we registered attempted attacks at a rate of about 1 or 2 a day. Once school started, we saw the number of these attempts climb in the order of 40 or 50 a day." said Chris Smith, vice president of marketing for Alert Logic. Continued Smith: "Our observation is that school networks, on average, are more vulnerable than corporate networks because many do not have intrusion detection and threat management systems in place due to budget constraints and blind faith in perimeter security. Students are also more promiscuous computer users than most corporate computer users and will pretty much open anything. This is a bad combination: higher than average promiscuity, lower than average protection." Alert Logic defines a "serious security incident" as something that could compromise sensitive data or system availability "on a large scale if not dealt with immediately," said Smith. A worm outbreak is the classic example of a serious security incident. Alert Logic is the only IT network security company today that uses a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform to deliver affordable, on-demand protection to mid-sized businesses and organizations, including academic institutions. Alert Logic's unique solution allows mid-sized organizations to focus their energies and resources on the job at hand, not IT security threats. About Alert LogicAlert Logic's on-demand network security solutions deliver intrusion defense and improved compliance at a fraction of the cost of traditional products. Unlike appliance or software products, its Software-as-a-Service platform delivers solutions on-demand - featuring rapid deployment, zero maintenance, and no hardware or software costs. As a result, Alert Logic customers can defend against intrusions and worms, continuously discover and correct network vulnerabilities, and help ensure compliance with policies and regulations. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, more information about Alert Logic's Network Protection On Demand is available at http://www.alertlogic.com. Contact:
Sarah Gonzales |
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