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GFI Releases New Product to Enable Network-Wide Control of Portable Storage Devices

London (ots)

GFI LANguard P.S.C. Can Control the Use of USB Sticks and
   Therefore Prevent Corporate Information Leaks and the Entry of
   Viruses or Trojans
GFI today announced the release of GFI LANguard Portable Storage
Control (P.S.C.), a new network security product that can prevent
unauthorized users from taking information from the network or
introducing malware via USB (Universal Serial Bus) sticks and other
removable media (floppy, CD). It also allows administrators to
control the connection of devices that can register storage in
Windows, such as iPods, smartphones, digital cameras and handhelds.
The need to control entry and exit of data via USB sticks and
other devices
Companies are investing heavily in network anti-virus software,
firewalls, email and web content security. Yet, in most companies,
any user at the office can plug in a USB stick the size of the
average keychain and take in/out 1GB of data. This poses a tremendous
threat: Users can take confidential data that they have access to, or
they can introduce viruses, Trojans, illegal software and more --
actions that can severely affect an organization and its network.
Yet, companies have no way of controlling this.
A serious new threat to businesses
In the 2003 CSI/FBI Computer Crime and Security Survey, 80% of all
respondents cited insider abuse of network access as a most pressing
security concern for companies. The survey also showed that theft of
proprietary information caused the greatest financial loss to
companies (totaling over $70m in one year) and disgruntled employees
are the most likely source of attack for companies.
Technology analyst Gartner warns that portable devices containing
a USB or FireWire connection are a serious new threat to businesses.
In a July 2004 report, Gartner named portable storage devices as a
significant security risk in the workplace and advised that these can
be used both to download confidential data, and also to introduce a
virus into the company network. Gartner's report listed pocket-sized
hard drives that connect using FireWire or USB hard drive or keychain
drive, disk-based MP3 players such as the iPod, and digital cameras
with smart media cards, memory sticks, compact flash and other memory
media as potential security threats.
"Companies are underestimating the danger of the uncontrolled use
of USB sticks and removable media at work. Apart from the obvious
issue of unauthorized exit of data, there is the problem that users
can bring in dangerous viruses and Trojans," said Nick Galea, GFI
CEO.
How GFI LANguard P.S.C. works
GFI LANguard P.S.C. offers administrators network-wide control of
which users can plug in a USB or other removable storage device and
access CDs and floppies. To do so, it installs a small footprint
agent on the user's machine. This agent is only 1.2MB in size -- the
user will never know it is there. GFI LANguard P.S.C. includes a
remote deployment tool, allowing administrators to deploy the agent
to hundreds of machines with just a few clicks. After installation,
the agent queries Active Directory when the user logs on and sets
permissions to removable storage accordingly. If the user is not a
member of a group that is permitted access, then access to the
device/CD/floppy is denied.
Controls access to all types of USB sticks, SD cards (digital
cameras), IPODs/MP3 players and more
USB sticks are a key threat as they are small, easily hidden and
can store up to 1GB of data. GFI LANguard P.S.C. recognizes all USB
sticks. In addition, it can control access to any device that can be
mounted as a hard disk (whether accessed via USB, FireWire, etc.).
For example, plugging a digital camera into a USB port gives users
access to storage on an SD card. SD cards are available in several
sizes including 512MB and over.
Controls access to CDs and floppies
With GFI LANguard P.S.C., administrators can centrally disable
users from reading or writing data to/from a CD or floppy. This way,
normal users can be prevented from introducing data that could be
harmful to the network, such as viruses, Trojans and other malware.
Easy configuration of users who can have access, via Active
Directory
To grant a user access to any one or all three of the devices, the
administrator must simply make that user a member of pre-defined
Active Directory groups for each of the three types of devices. An
entire department can also be made a member of the group, for
instance. Other storage control software requires cumbersome
per-machine administration, forcing administrators to make the
changes on a per-machine basis and update the configuration on each
machine before the settings can take effect. By contrast,
configuration of GFI LANguard P.S.C. is effortless and leverages the
power of Active Directory.
Pricing and availability
GFI LANguard P.S.C. is available from distributors around the
world or online at the GFI website (http://www.gfi.com). It is highly
cost-effective with prices starting at US$295 to monitor up to 25
computers; a version for up to 100 computers costs $495. For more
information and to download the product, one can visit
http://www.gfi.com/lanpsc/.
About GFI
GFI is a leading provider of network security, content security
and messaging software. Key products include the GFI FAXmaker fax
connector for Exchange and fax server for networks; GFI MailSecurity
email content/exploit checking and anti-virus software; GFI
MailEssentials server-based anti-spam software; GFI LANguard Network
Security Scanner (N.S.S.) security scanning and patch management
software; GFI Network Server Monitor that automatically sends alerts,
and corrects network and server issues; and GFI LANguard Security
Event Log Monitor (S.E.L.M.) that performs event log based intrusion
detection and network-wide event log management. Clients include
Microsoft, Telstra, Time Warner Cable, Shell Oil Lubricants, NASA,
DHL, Caterpillar, BMW, the US IRS, and the USAF. GFI has offices in
the US, the UK, Germany, Cyprus, Romania, Australia and Malta, and
operates through a worldwide network of distributors. GFI is a
Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and has won the Microsoft Fusion
(GEM) Packaged Application Partner of the Year award.
All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their
respective owners.
ots Original Text Service: GFI Software Ltd
Internet: http://www.presseportal.ch
For more information and review copies: 
Angelica Micallef Trigona  
angelica@gfi.com 
GFI Software Ltd - Malta 
Tel: +356 21382418 
Fax: +356 21382419 
URL: http://www.gfi.com
SOURCE:  GFI Software Ltd

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