Squid & Google Safe Browsing API

Had finished today a small utility for implementing support of Google Safe Browsing API in Squid - squid-gsb. Documentation and build instructions you can find on my home page.

New release of OpenFWTK project

OpenFWTK project had announced release of new major version - 2.0. OpenFWTK - firewall, that has extended features for filtering of application protocols - HTTP, SMTP and other. This project extends ideas of TIS fwtk and keep backward compatibility at eth API level.
System provide ability for development of own application proxies via API, that allows to quick and flexible extend system functionality.

New version of Webwasher

Secure Computing company had announced release of new version of Webwasher - web-filtering system, providing functions of secure web gateway and hide users from external threats - malware & spyware, spam, etc.
In new version was introduced web caching functions, that allow to decrease access time, and better integrate system into the corporate networks. Besides this, was implemented many improvements in the Trusted Source reputation system, proactive engine and handlers of different formats.

Google continue to attak information security market

Forbes reports, that Google got approval from the Federal Trade Commission regarding acquisition of the Postini Inc. - company, that implement hosted services in the branch of informational security - transferred data protection (both Web & e-mail), communication compliance, etc.

Article about modern trends in content filtering

I finish translation of my article about modern trends in content filtering branch (previously available only in Russian). You can find this article here (article also available as pdf).
P.S. May be translation not so good, so please leave your comments here or send them to alexott at gmail dot com

Websense got permit for SurfControl acquisition

At the begin of the week Websense Inc. got from U.K. office of fair trade permit for acquisition of SurfControl. Permits from the USA commissions was get early.
Merging with SurfControl allow Websense to improve products line, and if merging of existing products will successful, this allow to provide to customer wide range of content filtering products.

New version of SmartFilter

Secure Computing Corp. had announced new version of SmartFilter - url-filtering product. In new version was integrated TrustedSource technology, that improve quality of checking, by using feedback from installed products, that also integrate this technology.

New product for content-filtering in Web 2.0 world

Week ago Websense unveils new, sixth version of their data leak prevention product - Websense Content Protection Suite. In new version, was extended functions of data classification, that is very useful for sites, that actively use Web 2.0 technologies - content syndication, dynamic page generation, etc.
By using this product, Websense confirm conclusions from the Gartner's report on Content filtering and data loss prevention. Acquisition of Port Authority made a positive influence on product line of Websense.

Google will active player?

Today Google had announced the Safe Browsing API, that allow external developers to use database of phishing & malware resources. As example, they show plugin for Firefox web-browser, that check addresses against this database.
Such active deployment of their technologies, could make Google very serious player on the market of content-filtering and information security. Companies, that sell url categorization databases, may loss part of their income.
It will be interesting to implement plugin, that will use this API in open-source projects, such as, Squid or Dansguardian.

Google start to work in information security branch

Several days ago Google had acquired a startup, that provide solution for malware detection. To reflect works in this branch, was opened a new blog - Google Online Security Blog..
Entering of web-search companies to the market of information security, could has a big impact for the development of new content filtering systems - from using collected information to form a URLs databases and/or databases for online data categorization, to development of new methods of data filtering.

New image spam method

Secure Computing point in article, that spammers has a new method for deploying spam - instead of putting image directly in mail message, their upload images to the well-known photo hosting sites, and put in mail message only link to the spam picture.
This technique is too hard to detect, and currently nobody can to solve this problem. Only way to fight with this approach - detect networks of compromised computers, and block all messages from them

new product for data loss prevention

On the market of data loss prevention appear a new product fromMcAfee Inc. - McAfee Data Loss Prevention.
I need to mentionm that this product control both network data (email,P2P, IM, Skype, HTTP, HTTPS, FTP) - with centralized proxy-server, and desktop data (Wi-Fi, USB, CD, DVD, printers, fax and removable devices) - with special desktop agent. Agents and proxy server could be installed separately, depending on the organization needs.
Main platform for the products - Windows. All gathered data are stored in the MS SQL Server.

Acquitions is continue?

Had found in news, that Websense had announced, that it intended to acquire SurfControl.
Number of players at the content security market continue to decrease - Who will acquired next?

About information leakage prevention

The Gartner company had published very interesting report about market of content monitoring and filtering/data loss prevention products. Gartner point, that currently this market is small, but it should grow up to $120-150 million in current year.
Currently in this branch (by the version of Gartner), there are 3 leading companies - Websense (after acquiring of PortAuthority), Vontu and Vericept. Many providers of content filtering solutions (Clearswift, Secure Computing, etc.) was excluded from the analysis, as their products doesn't has a required functions - absence of data collection and static analysis, limited capabilities for the filtering of outgoing traffic, no common subsystem for defining and controlling filtering policies.
It's interesting to mention, that many of things, described in this report - collecting and classification of information, linguistic analysis, etc, already was described by me as the things, that will needed for future development of the content filtering systems. I'll continue analysis of data, and will write about the results in this blog.

about notes in blog

I want to mention, that i also has some notes about content filtering in my personal blog. They are marked with Content Filtering label. But i'll try in future may avaialable only in this journal, or provide a copy of the notes

My article about content filtering trends & techniques

Today i had uploaded to site my article (in russian) about content filtering trends & techniques, that was published in October 2006 JetInfo Magazine. Article is available here. I hope, that i make translation of article to English in near future.
I had also uploaded earlier article about web-filtering and our product for it, that also was published at JetInfo, and available from their site.

New Acquisition of Cisco

Yesterday Cisco had reported, that it'll acquire a company Reactivity, that sell a XML-oriented appliances. Interesting thing is that, these solutions could play several roles - xml-data filtering and transformation, provide additional shield for xml-based services, etc.
With this acquisition, Cisco will open for itself a new rapidly grown market of EII- & SOA-oriented products.

New version of WebWasher

Secure Computing had announced a new version of WebWasher product - 6.5. It also released a new version of Sidewinder - 7.0.
Both product included Real-time Reputation Scores, that allow users of both products to filter not only by categories of sites, but also with reputation rank, that is updated in real-time, and allow to detect and propagate knowledge about sites, that has malicious code

i'm back ;-)

After long time offline, due my moving to Germany, i'm now online and shall continue to post a news about content filtering

cisco buy a e-mail filtering firm

News reports that Cisco had buy a Ironport, a company that work in branch of e-mail filtering and spyware controlling.