Wedge Networks Named as a 2010 ASTech Award Honouree

Posted on September 22, 2010 by Wedge Networks Administrator
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The Alberta Science and Technology Leadership Foundation announced Wedge Networks as one of 36 outstanding ASTech honourees to be recognized at the 2010 ASTech Awards Gala slated for November 12th at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton. The honourees represent the province’s brightest minds and most innovative enterprises, demonstrating the abundance of outstanding activity occurring in Alberta’s science and technology community and come from four key strategic areas: health solutions, bio sciences, energy and environment, and technology.

Please see HERE for the full details.

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Wedge BeSecure Network Appliance Protects More Than 30,000 EVOCO Inc. Account Users

Posted on September 21, 2010 by Wedge Networks Administrator
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BeSecure is the Network Security Appliance of Choice for Leading SaaS Provider

CALGARY, AB. September 21, 2010— Wedge Networks Inc. (“Wedge”), the technology leader in high performance network-based web security appliances, announced today that its BeSecure Web Security Appliance is the product of choice for Evoco Inc. (“Evoco”), one of Canada’s fastest growing companies according to PROFIT Magazine.

Evoco, a leading provider of project management software for construction, remodel and facility management initiatives, deployed Wedge’s BeSecure to protect its entire network. As a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) company, Evoco is dedicated to ensuring consumer confidence and meeting their service-level requirements, making maximum security imperative.

“Web-based companies continually face the challenge of ensuring networks are properly protected to accommodate high-traffic and growing enterprise demands,” said Alice Reimer, President, Evoco Inc.  “With more than 30,000 account users, Evoco’s customer promise is greater than 99.5 percent uptime. We pride ourselves on being a top quality software provider and are fully committed to meeting the high-performance needs of our network and rapidly growing user base. To accomplish this, Evoco insists on having the best network-based security system integrated into our infrastructure.”

Evoco selected Wedge’s BeSecure Security Appliance because it was able to meet Evoco’s high standards for top network performance, accurate content inspection, and scalable bandwidth. In addition, Evoco found that BeSecure offered sophisticated reporting features and an effective management console and superior customer service.

“We are pleased our BeSecure appliance was selected by Evoco to protect their networks and their users worldwide,” said Dr. Hongwen Zhang, CEO of Wedge Networks. “Evoco is one of Canada’s fastest growing companies and we are happy to be able to support their continued growth and success.”

For more information, please visit www.wedgenetworks.com

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Wedge Networks Wins TechRev Innovators 2010 Awards

Posted on September 21, 2010 by Wedge Networks Administrator
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Calgary Based Company Leading Advancements in Network Security


Calgary, Alberta – September 20, 2010 – Wedge Networks Inc. (Wedge), the leader in high performance network-based web security solutions, announced it has been awarded a 2010 TechRev Innovators Award for leadership and excellence in technology innovation.

Honoured at a reception for key industry players, Wedge Networks was recognized for its patented operating system: WedgeOS. WedgeOS has broken the performance barrier in providing transparent Deep Content Inspection of network traffic, enabling organizations to protect themselves from web based threats that traditional scanning methods have difficulty controlling. This compelling technology was selected after a rigorous application process which included over 300 companies being evaluated on a number of elements including those relating to financial performance, operational growth, and market viability.

“We are delighted that our company was recognized at this prestigious event that highlights new advancements in technology” said Hongwen Zhang, Wedge President & CEO. “This award validates Wedge Networks’ direction as an innovator in providing solution to solve the performance and accuracy problems faced when inspecting high bandwidth and complex networks. Recognition like this showcases the abilities of a Canadian company to be a technology leader on the global stage.”

About TechRev Awards

Showcasing innovation in the technology sector, TechRev focuses on bringing awareness to technology being developed in Calgary that is being adopted on a global scale. Visit www.techrev.ca for more information and the complete list of winners.

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“Here you have” it… Yet-Another-Adobe-Exploit and why we need accuracy!

Posted on September 16, 2010 by Wedge Chief Scientist
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I have been away for a much needed holiday, spending quality time with my in-laws.  Apart from the typical gastronomical splurging (what else – Swiss chocolates, Swiss Cheese, etc.), holidays are a good time to reflect. 

Trains and Europe go hand in hand and while waiting for my train at Zurich HB Station, I noticed how simple, elegant and impeccably accurate all the stations’ clocks were.  Later that night, I read all about this timeless clock.  Designed by Hans Hilfiker in the 40s, this simple, elegant and impeccably accurate design is timeless and goes to prove that most problems require just that – simple, elegant, yet impecabbly accurate solutions. 

Thinking of our industry – providing security to computer networks and end-devices, I am not sure we are at that stage yet.  Here is why:   

The Ponemon Institute reports that (See bar chart 3 of the report) enterprises, on average, have 3.7 software agents installed on each endpoint to perform management, security and other operations. In addition, these enterprises have, on average, 3.9 different or distinct software management consoles for endpoint operations and security.  Yet, (See bar chart 17 of the report), more than 88% of these enterprises reported that virus or malware network intrusions were the most frequently encountered incidents experienced in 2008/2009!  

Ponemon reports that enterprises have 3.7 software agents installed on each endpoint to perform management, security and other operations, yet 88% of these enterprises reported that virus or malware network intrusions were the most frequently encountered incidents.  

And further, the daily headlines continue to prove that we need to change our approach.  The latest, Yet-Another-Adobe-Exploit (YAAE!), utilizes an old-school download and run approach – VBMania worm.  The worm propagates itself by sending you an e-mail with the title “Here you have” as shown:  

"Here you have" VBMania Worm Infected Message

While the document has been removed, hence, in effect, this worm has been killed, this simple PDF exploit goes to prove this: With all the complex endpoint solutions, or UTMs that we have installed, out there, we need simple, elegant yet accurate security solutions.   In the followup blogs, I will further elaborate on what this entails.

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Help! I have been Moogled!

Posted on August 23, 2010 by Julie
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Yes that’s right, I said it, Moogled: Malware Originating, Orchestrated Group Level Exchange.  A term coined by Wedge’s resident genius, the man responsible for the Hamster, Dr.Husam Kinawi. It started off harmless enough,  I had just finished reading an article by Brian Prince, entitled How Black Hat SEO Abuses Search Engines and had yelled across the hall to Dr.Kinawi with my concerns.

“I never knew Black Hats could manipulate SEO”, I shouted, completely flabbergasted.

 “Moogled” he bellowed “You’ve been Moogled.” Please note* this is generally how are conversations go. He yells, I yell, we both yell and then I scream for ice cream (yes I have a sweet tooth)*

 It is yet another example of how sophisticated Malware is becoming. These hackers are using the same tactics used to elevate how your company, organization, you, etc. shows up in the results listings of a search engine.  “Search Engine Optimization” is now being utilized to propagate malware through the online world straight to your network.  It makes sense once you start to think about it. I use SEO tactics to improve Wedge Networks’ listings online in order to reach out to more people.  Black Hats do the same, only with a malevolent purpose. Here is how they do it:

  • Use `invisible tags`
  • Put comments on blogs, postings, communities that propagate the malicious link
  • Link blogs, communities together with the same malicious links
  • Increase online use of the linked site so that it will pop up in search engines
  • Rogues AV- fake software updates

 

So BeWarned! The next time a Search engine serves you Malware, you know you’ve been Moogled.

(Check out Brians Blog: http://www.eweek.com/showblog/61619/How-Black-Hat-SEO-Abuses-Search-Engines/)

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Come On, Wanna Pet My Pet Hamster?

Posted on August 13, 2010 by Wedge Chief Scientist
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Remember the days when Mom told you not to speak to strangers, even if they were friendly and offering you candy or petting their pet hamsters?  This week’s events sure brought about those memories.  Here are the top three events that would have duped some of the most advanced users:     

1. Microsoft “Fake” Anti Virus Program.  Tom Kelchner of Sunbelt Security Research Labs reports on yet another malware masquerading as malware-removal.  It is so well done, to the extent that it at first mimics the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal tool. See for yourself how close it mimics the original:     

     

Fake Microsoft Software Removal Tool Recommending the Install of a Fake Anti Virus Program     

Then after it ‘scans’ your computer, it recommends ‘fake’ anti-virus software and if you were to download the ‘recommended’ Anti-Virus this is what you will see (which looks pretty well done):     

 Shield EC Antivirus – Fake Malware Removal Software     

2. BREDOLAB  is back but hidden in an e-mail that mimics ‘current’ topics, such as your DHL pickup, Amazon deliver, you name it, and with a nice ‘attachment’ that contains the ill-fated Bredolab.X Trojan Downloader as shown:        

 

 

Bredolab.X Trojan Downloader Hiding in an "Innocent" E-mail

 Bredolab.X Trojan Downloader Hiding in an “Innocent” E-mail     

3. The first Android Malware, which mimics a video player, while in fact sending out ‘premium’ SMS message at $5/message.  This malware was first reported by Kaspersky Labs (For further ideas on mobile security, check Julie’s post on this blog ) .  Again, look at how perfect it looks:     

Android Malware - Mimicking a "Fake" MoviePlayer

Android Malware - Mimicking a "Fake" MoviePlayer

 Android Malware – Mimicking a “Fake” MoviePlayer     

Well, we said it here first in “And it is not just the Antenna” …  Security is becoming a chronic issue and Enterprises or a Service Providers will need to consider “edge” security solutions  (which are typically transparent inline network traffic scanning solutions) – that will protect your end-users’ endpoint devices (PCs, mobile phones, etc.) from malware attacks, and in so doing protecting your endpoint devices and your network infrastructure from those sophisticated malwares, that are becoming harder and harder to detect.  So instead, you should be getting this:BeSecure Transparently Blocking Bredolab.X Malware  

BeSecure Transparently Blocking the download of a Trojan (TrojanDownloader:Win32Bredolab.X)  

      

 

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Mobile Security Awareness on the Rise… Finally

Posted on August 13, 2010 by Julie
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BBC released a report this week which highlighted the ease of creating and implementing malicious code on a Smartphone. Mark Ward, BBC Technology Correspondent, self admitted programming novice and Tyler Shields a developer from Veracode teamed up to create a basic game that would steal contact information, private text messages , location information and then send it to a specific e-mail address.

Here is the scary part; the spyware took up 250 lines of the 1500 line program, were all legitimate programming and were hard to detect from official programs as mobiles are constantly accessing sensitive information.

With information such as this, it will only be a matter of time before Mobile Security becomes the next big thing. Or is it only a matter of time before we realize it IS the big thing?

Mobile security issues are becoming more apparent as Smartphone users are beginning to understanding how quickly and easily their personal information can be stolen from the very device they use on an intimate level everyday. From day planners, to passwords, to private conversations, Smartphones hold a goldmine of information for hackers looking to make bank.

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Wedge Networks Partners With Leading Canadian Security VAR – Access 2 Networks Ltd.

Posted on August 11, 2010 by Julie
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Wedge Networks is pleased to announce its partnership with network security specialist Access 2 Networks (A2N) headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

 “A2N brings a new level of security expertise to our channel partner ecosystem; one that I am positive that our customers would appreciate,” says Hongwen Zhang, President and CEO of Wedge Networks, the leader in high performance web security solutions. “I am impressed with their people, their focus on customer service, and their position in the marketplace. All in all, we are proud to bring on A2N as a Wedge Partner and look forward to working closely with them to bring our solutions to A2N’s world class customers.”

“Our focus and dedication towards Network Security Solutions enables us to have discussions about security challenges with many of Canada’s leading institutions and corporations. I am seeing an emerging market for High Performance Malware Protection Solutions, and, as Wedge Networks is a performance leader in Web Security, partnering with them becomes a logical step for us. As an industry we need to design solutions that tightens our Malware defenses while maintaining the bandwidth requirements of today and tomorrow, both at the network perimeter and within the corporate infrastructure.” explains Frank Rondinone, Founder and CEO of A2N.

 For more information on Access 2 Networks please visit www.access2networks.com .

For more information on Wedge Networks please visit www.wedgenetworks.com .

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Wedge Networks Breaks Performance Barriers With The Industry’s First 10Gbps Deep Content Inspection Platform For Cloud And Telco Edge Applications

Posted on July 28, 2010 by Wedge Networks Administrator
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Leader in Web Security Unveils BeSecure 2080 a 10 Gigabit Throughput DCI Appliance

CALGARY, AB. July 28, 2010 – Wedge Networks Inc. (Wedge), the leader in high performance network-based web security solutions, announced today, the World’s first 10 Gigabit per second Deep Content Inspection Platform, the BeSecure NDP-2080. Pushing the performance and accuracy boundaries for network inspection and integration, the BeSecure NDP-2080 is purpose- built for Service Providers and Telcos.

Wedge Networks is again leading the industry by delivering a performance powerhouse combining the NDP-2080 hardware with Wedge’s patented SubSonic Engine technology, allowing for a solution that can truly handle the requirements for high bandwidth networks.

With the NDP-2080 driving the performance, Wedge’s Deep Content Inspection-based solutions, which use comprehensive signatures that span both mobile and fixed devices, heuristics and reputation-based databases, provide the industry’s highest accuracy in malware detection. The BeSecure 2080 truly shatters the industry misconception that Deep Content Inspection is not suitable for Telco and ISP networks because of the latency introduced. With Wedge’s new flagship product, these high bandwidth providers now have a viable security solution.

“Network performance is critical. Devices that provide security services need to be able to keep up with the networks they are installed in. Wedge is committed to providing constant innovation to maintain its performance leadership in Deep Content Inspection.” said Dr. Hongwen Zhang, President and CEO of Wedge Networks. “The BeSecure 2080 has been developed to provide our customers with a robust, high performing, high accuracy solution that looks to fulfill network security requirements into the future but that is available today.”

Key technical features of the BeSecure 2080 include:
• Enhanced multi-CPU/multi-core support using Intel’s new generation of Nehalem six (6) core processors with real-time scheduling to deliver high performance and robustness for deep content inspection functions;
• Optimized network stack to support sustained 10Gbps throughput of content-inspected traffic with sub-millisecond latencies;
• Standards-based (IEEE 802.3ad) network integration to support aggregation of 1Gbps trunks for Telco-edge or cloud services deployments
• Stealth routing to enable plug & play network integration allowing for lower total cost of ownership (TCO);
• New OWASP-10 Malware Threat Detection for Server Farm Protection;
• SubSonic patented optimization algorithms for content recognition technology which delivers 30 times performance improvement over conventional approaches;
• Industry’s highest accuracy in malware detection using comprehensive signatures that span both mobile and fixed devices, heuristics and reputation-based databases.

With great interest expressed by early adopter customers, Wedge is now taking pre-orders on its new flagship NDP-2080 product. For information on the BeSecure 2080 and other Wedge products, visit:
www.wedgenetworks.com/products.html

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And it is not just the antenna…

Posted on July 28, 2010 by Wedge Chief Scientist
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The new iPhone 4.0 is a piece of art, a handheld device which Andrew Berg of Wireless Week elegantly termed as ‘beautifuly flawed‘.  Surprisingly, another report that went out un-noticed by mainstream media, unless you are in the Security business, rated Apple as the company with the most security vulnerabilities in its software, surpassing Oracle and even Microsoft in the last 5 years.  This is shown by the now highly quoted, yet highly disputed, graph:

Secunia - Reported Security Vulnerabilities by Vendor, 2005 - 2010.

Secunia - Reported Security Vulnerabilities by Vendor, 2005 - 2010.

But it is not just the iPhone or Apple platforms that are going to see a surge in malware attacks due to these documented vulnerabilities.  Kaspersky made this critical prediction in December 2009:

An increase in attacks on iPhone and Android mobile platforms. 2010 promises to be a difficult time for iPhone and Android users. The first malicious programs for these mobile platforms appeared in 2009, a sure sign that they have aroused the interest of cybercriminals. The only iPhone users currently at risk are those with compromised devices; however the same is not true for Android users who are all vulnerable to attack. The increasing popularity of mobile phones running the Android OS combined with a lack of effective checks to ensure third-party software applications are secure, will lead to a number of high-profile malware outbreaks.

There are three reasons why this prediction will hold and mobile devices are the next target for malicious attacks.  First, newer, more accessible platforms and applications – and the vulnerabilities highlighted above – will open the doors to malicious attacks on and from mobile devices. And second, many of us are using our iPhones and Android Smartphones in the same way we use our PCs.  We shop, surf the web, email, text, Twitter, Facebook and download on our phones.  Thirdly, our phones house so much of our personal information – contacts, calendars, emails, texts, pictures and more – making them a valuable target for malware writers and malicious hackers. 

So if you are the Chief Security Officer for your Enterprise or Service Provider, mobile devices are at your network’s perimeter and you will need to consider “edge” security solutions  (which are typically transparent inline network traffic scanning solutions) – solutions that will protect your end-users’ mobile devices from malware attacks, and in so doing protecting your network infrastructure from attacks launched from compromised mobile devices.  

You heard it here first – it is not just the antenna.

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