Media Alert
IMPact Index at 8; FaceTime Warns Worm Variant Wreaking Havoc on Messenging Networks
Reuters Minimizes Impact by Temporarily Suspending Service
FOSTER CITY, Calif. - April 14, 2005 - With the FaceTime IMPact Index moving to 8, a reflection of a number of new threats that can affect IM and P2P environments, FaceTime today warns of a new variant of the W32/Kelvir worm with a "W32.Spybot.NLI." spyware payload that is spreading through messaging services. The new variant attempts to spread the worm by sending messages using IM presence to determine whether unsuspecting users are online and then sends a message containing a URL to a spyware infection website. The Reuters Messaging network represents a new propagation vector for the W32/Kelvir worm.
In order to protect users and to prevent Reuters Messaging from being used to propagate the worm, Reuters has temporarily suspended the Reuters Messaging service while investigations continue.
FaceTime Makes An IMPact
The FaceTime IM and P2P Activity (IMPact) Team is the only focused and specialized intelligence and response organization addressing the rapid proliferation of new IM and P2P threats and provides an aggregate risk level of the day's threats, with the IMPact Index. The IMPact Team is comprised of FaceTime's security experts working from FaceTime's U.S. and India locations to monitor, analyze and report on all malicious IM and P2P-related activity. The team delivers documented countermeasures to the IT community at large to instantly defend against the latest attacks. For a comprehensive list of IM and P2P threats and the latest threat index visit the IMPact Center: http://www.facetime.com/impactcenter
Helping Companies Stay Secure
As part of its security initiative, FaceTime offers remediation that will enable full protection against new flaws from propagating and causing serious network damage. FaceTime's Enterprise Edition products provide detection and blocking for real-time communications traffic on your network.
FaceTime also offers a Vulnerability Assessment Survey and Test (VAST), a free service that helps companies identify potential IM and P2P threats in their enterprise. The assessment consists of three conclusive steps including evaluation of existing IM and P2P network policies, procedures and products; specialized testing for real-time communications-based vulnerabilities; and a detailed report with resolution recommendations. To sign up for a vulnerability assessment, visit http://www.facetime.com/vulnerability
About FaceTime Communications
FaceTime Communications enables the safe and productive use of instant
messaging, Web usage and Unified Communications platforms. Ranked number one by
IDC for four consecutive years, FaceTime's award-winning solutions are used by
more than 900 customers – including nine of the 10 largest U.S. banks – for
security, management and compliance of real-time communications. FaceTime
supports or has strategic partnerships with all leading public and enterprise
IM network providers, including AOL, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo!, Skype, IBM,
Reuters and Jabber.
FaceTime is headquartered in Belmont, California. For more information visit
http://www.facetime.com or call 888-349-FACE.
The FaceForward blog, at http://blog.facetime.com,
offers thoughts and opinions about the changing nature of Internet communications.
PR Contact:
Emily Chamberlin
650-762-2945
echamberlin@ar-edelman.com
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